Triptych, The Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints

This 1338 triptych by Bernardo Daddi in the Courtauld Gallery exemplifies the portable devotional altarpieces that were a specialty of his prolific Florentine workshop. Such triptychs allowed the faithful to maintain a private devotional focus, particularly during travel or in domestic settings without chapel access. Daddi's elegant style and consistent quality made his workshop the leading producer of such objects in mid-fourteenth-century Florence.

Egg tempera on poplar panels with gold-leaf ground, hinged wooden frame allowing the wings to fold over the central panel. Daddi's refined technique features soft facial modeling, rhythmic drapery patterns, and meticulously tooled gold backgrounds.