Madonna and Child with Saints Jerome and Mary Magdalen
Neroccio di Bartolomeo de' Landi·ca. 1490
Historical Context
Neroccio de' Landi, a Sienese painter and sculptor active in the late fifteenth century, painted this Madonna and Child with Saints Jerome and Mary Magdalen around 1490. Neroccio was a pupil and partner of Francesco di Giorgio Martini and one of the last great practitioners of the distinctively graceful Sienese painting tradition. His Madonnas, with their delicate, elongated features and decorative elegance, embody the refined aesthetic that distinguished Sienese art from the more robust Florentine style.
Technical Analysis
The tempera-on-wood technique produces the luminous, jewel-like color characteristic of Sienese painting. Neroccio's sinuous line and delicate modeling create figures of ethereal beauty, with meticulously rendered details in the saints' attributes and the Virgin's crown.
