Madonna with Child and Two Angels

Paolo di Giovanni Fei was a prominent Sienese painter of the late fourteenth century whose elegant, refined style epitomized the continuation of the great Sienese Gothic tradition established by Duccio, Simone Martini, and the Lorenzetti. This Madonna with Child and Two Angels, dating to around 1385 and now in the Hermitage, represents the quintessential devotional subject of Sienese painting. Paolo's work was deeply admired for its lyrical beauty and spiritual warmth, qualities that made Sienese Madonnas sought after across Europe.

Egg tempera on gold-ground panel with the refined, jewel-like color and sinuous line characteristic of the Sienese school. The Madonna's face displays Paolo's distinctive sweetness of expression, and the flanking angels add decorative richness while their gestures guide the viewer's devotion toward the central sacred pair.