Enthroned Madonna and Child with two virgin martyrs

Cima's Enthroned Madonna and Child with Two Virgin Martyrs (1495) is a sacra conversazione from his mature period, the two female saints — probably Catherine of Alexandria and another virgin martyr — flanking the enthroned Madonna in the standard Venetian altarpiece format. Virgin martyr saints were popular subjects for altarpiece commissions from female religious communities and from chapels dedicated to feminine devotion, their combination of purity, intellectual achievement, and steadfast courage making them models of Christian female virtue applicable to both religious and lay women. Cima's treatment gives each saint distinct character through attribute and expression while maintaining the compositional harmony of the altarpiece format.

Cima renders the enthroned group with his characteristic geometric clarity and luminous atmosphere, using balanced symmetry and even, crystalline light to create an effect of calm devotional contemplation.