Madonna and Child with Saints and Angels
Bernardo Daddi·1330
Historical Context
Bernardo Daddi's Madonna and Child with Saints and Angels (c. 1330) exemplifies the Florentine tradition of devotional polyptych altarpieces that proliferated in Trecento churches and chapels. As Giotto's most successful follower in the realm of smaller devotional works, Daddi softened the master's monumental severity into a more approachable, tender style that proved enormously popular. His workshop's output for Florentine churches, confraternities, and private patrons was prodigious.
Technical Analysis
Painted in egg tempera on panel with tooled gold ground, the composition centers on a sweetly expressive Madonna flanked by saints and angels in formal symmetry. Daddi's technique features smooth, carefully blended flesh tones and richly patterned textiles rendered with minute precision.
