Madonna and Child
Benvenuto di Giovanni
Italian, Siena 1436 - 1518
This resplendent and well-preserved panel portrays the Virgin handing the Christ Child a pomegranate, a symbol of the Resurrection.
The painting may once have belonged by Pope Pius II Piccolomini, whose coat of arms is said to have formerly appeared on the back of the panel.
The acorns, clustered beneath the frame’s scroll console, may be a heraldic allusion to Pius II.
The important tabernacle frame may be contemporary and original to the panel. The candelabra-decorated pilasters are characteristic of Sienese frames of the period. Date: ca. 1470
Medium: Tempera on wood, gold ground
Dimensions:
Overall 27 3/4 x 18 1/8 in. (70.5 x 46 cm); painted surface 24 1/4 x 14 3/4 in. (61.6 x 37.5 cm)
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 956
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/458994
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