Coronation of the Virgin (3 panels)

Giovanni del Biondo's Coronation of the Virgin (c. 1370) at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool is a three-panel altarpiece presenting the celestial crowning of the Madonna, surrounded by hosts of angels and saints. Giovanni del Biondo was one of the most prolific painters in Florence during the second half of the fourteenth century, maintaining an extremely productive workshop that supplied altarpieces to churches and confraternities throughout Tuscany. The Coronation of the Virgin served as the culminating image of Marian devotion, depicting the Virgin's ultimate triumph and glorification in heaven.

Tempera and gold on three joined panels with the central Coronation flanked by arrays of saints and angels. Giovanni del Biondo's technique features clear, bold colors, firm linear contours, and extensive gold-ground tooling with geometric punchwork patterns creating a radiant celestial effect.