The Coronation of the Virgin

The Master of the Washington Coronation, named after this very painting, was an anonymous Italian Gothic painter active in the early fourteenth century, likely trained in the Sienese tradition. This Coronation of the Virgin, dated around 1324, depicts the moment Christ crowns his mother as Queen of Heaven, one of the most important subjects in Gothic Marian devotion. The panel is a key work in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and defines this anonymous master's artistic identity.

Executed in egg tempera on panel with gold ground, the painting places the enthroned Christ and Virgin in a symmetrical, hieratic arrangement surrounded by attending angels. The refined punch-work in the gold ground and the delicate color harmonies of rose, blue, and white suggest strong Sienese influence.