Master of the Cortona Tondo
, Italian, 15th-16th century
Title
The Virgin and Child with SaintsDate15th century
MediumOil on panel
Dimensions
89 cm
Credit LinePurchased, 1974
Object numberNGI.4091
Label TextThis tondo (circular painting) was painted by an unknown artist believed to be from Cortona in Tuscany. Florentine artists established the tondo format of painting in Italy from the first half of the fifteenth century. The Virgin and Child was a subject frequently depicted in tondi. Here they are accompanied by Mary Magdalene on the left and Saint Lucy on the right. Saint John the Baptist kneels at the Virgin’s feet. The Magdalene is identified by the jar of ointment she used to anoint Christ. Lucy, a virgin martyr, was killed with a dagger to the throat. The oil lamp is an emblem of her name which means light.