Madonna and Child with the Blessing Christ, and Saints Peter, James Major, Anthony Abbott, and a Deacon Saint [entire triptych]

This panel, along with two others by the Sienese artistMartino di Bartolomeo (Sienese, active 1393/1434), were part of the same altarpiece. The figures’ solemnity and large bodies are characteristic of Martino’s work. In theMadonna and Child, with the Blessing Christ [middle panel], the Virgin and Child touch their pink cheeks together. This kind of representation is called the Virgin_Glykophilousa_, or “Virgin of Tenderness,” a popular icon in the Byzantine East (_glykos_is Greek for sweet). Adding to the tender emotion in the figures’ embrace is the soft modeling of their faces and Jesus’s tug at the bodice of his mother’s dress, indicating his desire to nurse. Inset above them is the Blessing Christ.

Originally, this painting of Saint Peter would have appeared on the left. He holds the keys to heaven, but would have been recognized without that by his yellow robe and distinctive curly gray hair and beard. Above him is Saint James Major, known by his pilgrim’s staff, and inset into the panel on the opposite side isDeacon Saint, with Saint Anthony Abbot [right panel], identifiable by his hospitaller habit from a religious military order and T-shaped staff. Identifying the saint beneath Anthony Abbot is more difficult. He is apparently young and a deacon, by virtue of his wide-sleeved outer garment called a dalmatic. Because he holds a palm, we also know that he was a martyr. Two candidates for his identity are Saints Stephen and Lawrence. Saint Stephen, in fact, is considered the first Christian martyr. The means by which saints were martyred are typically included in their depictions and make identification possible: Stephen was stoned to death, and Lawrence was grilled over a fire. Since the artist and his patron did not feel such clues were required here, it is possible that the altarpiece originally stood in a church dedicated to the mystery saint.