Madonna and Child

This Madonna and Child by Naddo Ceccarelli, a Sienese painter active in the mid-fourteenth century and thought to be a pupil of Simone Martini and Lippo Memmi, exemplifies the continuation of the refined Sienese Gothic tradition into the second half of the Trecento. Naddo's works are rare, making this panel an important document of the Sienese school's evolution. The intimate devotional format suggests the painting was made for private worship, encouraging personal prayer before the image of the Virgin.

Executed in tempera and gold on panel, the painting displays the characteristic Sienese finesse in its graceful linear rhythms and soft, luminous facial modeling. The tooled gold background with punched decorative borders and the Virgin's richly draped mantle reflect the workshop traditions transmitted from Simone Martini.