Course Readings: Web Gallery

Enthroned Madonna and Child, Santa Trinità, Florence, Italy (ca. 1285) by Cenni di Pepi ("Cimabue")

In this painting, the Madonna holds a very mature and adult-looking Christ child in her lap as she sits upon a three-dimensional, yet flat-looking throne. Angels stand on either side of the throne, perhaps symbolizing a heavenly setting. Beneath the throne stand Abraham, David, Jeremiah, and Isaiah. In different ways, each of these men figures prominently in the Old Testament foundation of Christianity. All four hold scrolls—portions of the Bible that also serve as a foundation of Christianity. Christ also grasps a scroll in his left hand—perhaps the prophecies that announce His Coming. Although this painting is somewhat more sophisticated than the depiction of Saint Francis, it is similar in many respects and still reflects a weighty Byzantine influence.