Enthroned Madonna and Child with angels and Saints Louis of Toulouse, Zenobius, John the Evangelist, and John the Baptist
Jacopo del Casentino
Description
March 28, 2009
A heavenly revelation is offered as an intimate encounter on this small panel, which once formed the center of a private altarpiece. The Virgin Mary is enthroned majestically as the queen of heaven with the infant Christ on her lap, as four saints and a host of angels crowd around her. Standing at the foot of the throne are the clean-shaven Saint Louis of Toulouse, who foreswore his kingdom to take up the bishop’s mantle, and the bearded Saint Zenobius, the first bishop of Florence. John the Baptist, the patron saint of Florence, gazes up at Christ from behind Zenobius, while John the Evangelist looks on from behind Louis. The saintly and angelic gazes express the ardent spiritual desire to engage as closely as possible with the regal Madonna and her son. Yet it is the gaze of the panel’s owner (or spectator) that is privileged with a direct, unimpeded view of the Virgin and Child—a gaze that is acknowledged by Saint Louis and, most importantly, by the Virgin herself.
Subject Matter:
The Virgin and infant Christ sit in majesty upon an ornate throne surrounded by saints and angels. To the Virgin's right, at the foot of the dais, stands the bishop-saint Louis of Toulouse with St. John the Evangelist holding a quill pen behind him. Another bishop, St. Zenobius stands next to the other side of the dais accompanied by John the Baptist. Fourteen angels crowd the background on either side of the throne.
Physical Description:
The majestic figure of the Virgin with the infant Christ on her lap sits enthroned in the center of this painted panel. Her elaborate throne rests upon a dais and is enclosed on three sides by panels bristling with Gothic ornament. Two bishop saints holding croziers stand at the foot of the dais accompanied by two other saints who stand behind them, while fourteen angels crowd the background.
Usage Rights:
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