Adoration of the Christ Child

Bartolomeo di Tommaso

Download hi-res image TITLE Adoration of the Christ Child
AUTHOR Bartolomeo di Tommaso
DATE 1425 -34
OBJECT TYPE AND MATERIAL Tempera on panel
DIMENSIONS cm 121 x 42
INVENTORY 198
ROOM XXII
Work on display

This is one of the earliest works by a painter who enjoyed such an excellent reputation in his own lifetime that he was summoned to paint in the Vatican. The Virgin, seated on a throne draped in damask, adores the Christ Child, who clutches in his right hand what may be goldfinch, alluding to his future Passion. The gold leaf in the background and the silver leaf of the tunic are applied in long strips to create a deliberately mimetic effect.