The Marriage of the Virgin

Bernardo Daddi's The Marriage of the Virgin (c. 1340) depicts the apocryphal story of the Virgin Mary's betrothal to Joseph, a scene popular in Trecento art that emphasized the sanctity of marriage. Now in the Royal Collection, this panel demonstrates Daddi's skill as a narrative painter who could enliven traditional subjects with naturalistic detail and architectural settings. The subject was particularly favored by patrons seeking images appropriate for marriage chapels and domestic devotion.

Painted in egg tempera on panel with gold ground, the scene is set within a convincing architectural framework that creates spatial depth. Daddi's figures display the soft, rounded modeling and gentle expressions characteristic of his mature narrative style.