Seraphim, Cherubim and Adoring Angels

Jacopo di Cione's Seraphim, Cherubim and Adoring Angels formed part of a major altarpiece for the Florentine Mint (Zecca), one of the most important civic commissions in late Trecento Florence. Jacopo, youngest brother of Andrea di Cione (Orcagna), ran the family workshop after his brothers' deaths and secured prestigious commissions from guilds and confraternities. This celestial panel depicting the angelic hierarchy reflects the elaborate theological programmes that governed Gothic altarpiece design, with each rank of angels occupying its prescribed position in the heavenly court.

Tempera and extensive gold leaf on panel, with the layered ranks of angels creating a luminous, rhythmic composition against the gilded ground. The decorative punch-work and careful differentiation of angelic types demonstrate the Orcagna workshop's mastery of ornamental sacred imagery.