The Virgin and Child with Donors

The couple kneeling in prayer commissioned this work. Uncommonly, the wife is at the Virgin’s right, the position of honour generally reserved for the husband. They are granted a vision of the Virgin and Child, seated on an altar-like throne; its back and arms take their form from contemporary Gothic architecture. The painter awkwardly attempted to show the throne in perspective – a new development in art. He also brought a sense of naturalism to the figure of the child, who freely rests his arm on his mother’s shoulder. The painter has been tentatively identified as the "Maestro Daddesco" of Florence, or perhaps as a member of the Memmi family workshop in Siena.