Virgin and Child with Annunciation

This Virgin and Child with Annunciation by the Master of Badia a Isola, an anonymous Tuscan painter active in the early fourteenth century, bridges the late Duecento Byzantine manner and the new Gothic naturalism. Named after a work in the abbey church of Badia a Isola near Siena, this master worked in the orbit of Duccio and the early Sienese school. The combination of the Madonna Enthroned with flanking Annunciation scenes follows established Italian Gothic altarpiece conventions.

Executed in tempera and gold on panel, the work retains Byzantine hieratic formality in the frontal Virgin while incorporating Sienese Gothic softness in the facial modeling and drapery. Elaborately tooled gold ground with incised halos and decorative punchwork enhances the devotional splendor.