The Virgin and Child
Ca. 1345.Not on display
The panel’s small size, making it particularly suitable for private devotion, reflects the growth of the cult of the Virgin. A typical feature of Tuscan art of this date is the use of inscriptions such as the one held here by the Christ Child: “VENITE AD ME OMNES” (Come to me all of you). Such inscriptions allowed the literate viewer to read the message of the image as well as see it, offering a double experience. This work is exceptional within the Spanish royal collections, which had no other Italian paintings dating from before 1450.
