The Virgin and Child with Six Angels

The Master of Albertini, an anonymous Sienese painter named after a work formerly in the Albertini collection, created this Virgin and Child with Six Angels around 1317. The composition follows the Maestà tradition established by Duccio, presenting the enthroned Madonna surrounded by a celestial court. This format was central to Sienese civic and religious identity, as the city considered itself specially consecrated to the Virgin Mary.

Tempera and gold leaf on panel with tooled punchwork in the haloes and borders typical of the Sienese workshop tradition. The six symmetrically arranged angels frame the central group with decorative formality, their wings creating rhythmic patterns against the luminous gold ground.