Madonna and Child
Historical Context
The Master of San Martino alla Palma, an anonymous Florentine painter active around 1310–1340, takes his name from a panel in the church of San Martino alla Palma near Florence. This Madonna and Child from around 1310 reflects the transformative moment in Florentine painting when Giotto's innovations were being absorbed by a generation of followers. The panel's journey to the São Paulo Museum of Art illustrates the global dispersal of Italian Gothic paintings through modern collecting.
Technical Analysis
Tempera and gold on panel with the Virgin and Child set against a burnished gold ground. The artist blends residual Byzantine conventions in the Madonna's pose with Giottesque modeling in the faces, representing the stylistic transition characteristic of early Trecento Florence.
