Triptych of the Madonna of Mercy

This is the only known work to be signed by the Lombard painter Gottardo Scotti. In the second half of the fifteenth century he was recorded as working for important clients, such as the Sforza and Borromeo families, and for the Milan cathedral.
The central panel represents the Madonna of Mercy, an image of the Virgin spreading her mantle to shelter the faithful. The wings are decorated with the Annunciation, Saint Sebastian and Saint Nicholas of Bari, and the Adoration of the Magi. The outside of the wings are painted in monochrome with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Stephen. The exquisite original frame of the triptych is probably by Scotti himself, who was also a woodcarver.
The work can be dated to between 1460 and 1480. It comes from the oratory of Santa Maria a Mazzo in Valtellina.