Madonna of Humility

Bartolomeo Bulgarini, a leading Sienese painter of the mid-Trecento, created this Madonna of Humility around 1353, depicting the Virgin seated on the ground in an attitude of meekness rather than enthroned in majesty. This iconographic type emerged in Siena in the 1340s and spread rapidly through Italy, reflecting the Franciscan emphasis on humility and the humanity of the sacred figures. The painting demonstrates Bulgarini's role in maintaining and developing the Sienese tradition after the devastation of the Black Death.

Executed in tempera and gold leaf on panel, the composition places the Virgin in the low-seated pose that defines the Humility type, with richly tooled gold ground and elaborate punch-work in the haloes. Bulgarini's style combines the lyrical grace of Simone Martini's legacy with a more robust figural presence.