Madonna and Child by by Nardo di Cione

Triptych
This is the middle panel of a triptych, or altarpiece that folds open into three parts. It was common for the Madonna and Child to occupy the center section. Unfortunately, the whereabouts of the left and right panels are not known. It is likely that they were damaged beyond repair.

Devotional piece
The small size of this painting gives us a clue as to its use: a devotional piece the artist, Nardo di Cione, made for a wealthy citizen—for both aesthetic enjoyment and use during prayer—rather than for a huge church.

Motherly love
The direct gaze of the Madonna at us, the viewer, as she affectionately holds her son, is meant as a knowing look, intended to remind us that her son will die to save humanity. The display of motherly emotion was of new concern in the early Renaissance, reflecting a growing interest in family relationships.

Halos
Small indentations are visible on the halos of the Madonna and Child if you look closely.

Two dimensions
The figures’ faces, hands, and feet appear almost lifelike; the shading gives dimension and softness to the skin. The gold background and the fabric, in contrast, are flat and geometric. This painting contains both the one-dimensional, schematic style common to art in the Middle Ages as well as the more three-dimensional handling of forms that developed during the Italian Renaissance (1400–1600).

Medieval fabric
The fabric reflects the artist reverting to the flatter, medieval technique. Artists at this time had begun to use shading to make their paintings seem more realistic, but when a plague hit Florence, many citizens felt that the social and economic changes of the early Renaissance had caused God displeasure, and they called for a return to earlier practices.

Heavenly realm
The gold background represents the heavenly realm. Made from gold leaf, the background would have flickered and glowed in the candlelight of the small, private chapel where the painting was kept (this is hundreds of years before electricity was invented).