Madonna and Child

Augustinus's Madonna and Child (c. 1390) at the Pinacoteca Civica di Forlì is a work by a little-known painter active in the Romagna region of central Italy during the late fourteenth century. The Romagna, situated between the major artistic centers of Bologna, Florence, and the Marches, produced a number of local painters who synthesized influences from these surrounding schools. The Madonna and Child was the most ubiquitous devotional subject in medieval Italian art, required for every church, chapel, and household that could afford a painted image.

Tempera and gold on panel with the Virgin holding the Christ Child in a devotional half-length or enthroned format. The style reflects the eclectic character of Romagnol painting, combining elements from Bolognese and Florentine Gothic traditions with local characteristics.