Christ on the Cross between the Virgin and St. John/ Madonna enthroned

This double-sided devotional panel by Francesco di Vannuccio, dating to around 1380, presents the Crucifixion with the Virgin and St. John on one side and an enthroned Madonna on the other. Francesco was a Sienese miniaturist and panel painter whose small-scale works were prized for their exquisite detail and intimate devotional character. Such portable double-sided panels (known as 'pace' or 'tavolette') were designed for private prayer, allowing the owner to contemplate different mysteries of the faith.

Painted in tempera and gold on a small wooden panel, the work displays the miniaturist precision that was Francesco di Vannuccio's hallmark, with tiny figures rendered with jewel-like clarity. The double-sided format and intimate scale demonstrate the craftsmanship of Sienese Gothic painters working at the boundary between panel painting and manuscript illumination.