Madonna and Child with Angels

Sassetta (Stefano di Giovanni) was the greatest Sienese painter of the fifteenth century, whose lyrical, mystical style represented a distinctly Sienese alternative to Florentine rationalism. This Madonna and Child with Angels from around 1445-50 demonstrates his characteristic combination of gold-ground tradition with a new tenderness and spatial sophistication that modernized the Sienese devotional idiom without abandoning its essential character.

The tempera on wood with gold ground shows Sassetta's refined, delicate brushwork with luminous colors and graceful figural proportions. The harmonious composition balances the traditional gold ground with subtle spatial recession, creating a devotional image of exceptional lyrical beauty.