Madonna and Child on a Curved Throne
A woman and child sit on an ornate gold, curving throne in front of a shimmering gold background in this vertical painting. Two winged angels in roundels at the upper corners and the woman and child all have peach-colored skin with a gray cast. The woman tips her head toward the child, to our right. She has almond-shaped eyes, a long, straight nose, and her small lips are closed. She looks into the distance over the child’s head. She wears a scarlet-red mantle that covers her head and drapes over her shoulders and body. The azure-blue of her dress beneath is visible at her throat and over one knee. The child sitting on her knee is as tall as a toddler but has adult proportions in his face and body. He holds up his right hand, on our left, and raises the first two fingers. He holds a red scroll in his other hand. He wears a forest-green robe over a salmon-pink garment. The clothing of both the woman and child have geometric gold lines indicating folds in the drapery, and both have gold halos. The child’s halo is marked with three red arms to create a cross above and to the sides of his head. The woman rests her feet on a low stool in front of the opening of the elaborately carved, two-tier throne that nearly encircles the pair. The winged angels in the upper corners have gold halos, brown hair, jeweled, gold garments, and each holds an orb and scepter.
Details
- Palette
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- Medium
- tempera on linden panel
- Dimensions
- painted surface: 82.4 × 50.1 cm (32 7/16 × 19 3/4 in.) overall: 84 × 53.5 cm (33 1/16 × 21 1/16 in.) framed: 90.81 × 58.26 × 7.62 cm (35 3/4 × 22 15/16 × 3 in.)
- Department
- CIS-R
- Holding institution
- National Gallery of Art
- Image provider
- national-gallery-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Andrew W. Mellon Collection
Art Genome Taxonomy
11 tags
Subject Matter
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Madonna and Child Both · 100%
The title and catalog identify the subject as Madonna and Child, and the image visibly shows a woman holding a child, both with halos.
Styles and Movements
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Medieval Art Both · 99%
The work is dated to the 13th century and presents a frontal sacred composition with halos, a gold ground, and formal devotional figures associated with medieval Christian art.
Visual Qualities
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Symmetrical Visual · 95%
The composition is organized around a strong central axis, with the throne and central figures balanced by paired angel roundels in the upper corners.
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Highly Ornamented Visual · 97%
The throne, garments, halos, angel roundels, and gold ground are covered with extensive decorative detail and linear ornament.
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Geometric Visual · 94%
The throne and drapery are articulated through repeated straight and curved lines, rectangular architectural forms, and patterned decorative accents.
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Shiny/Glossy Both · 93%
The catalog describes a shimmering gold background, and the image visibly features luminous gold passages across the ground, halos, throne, and garments.
Medium and Techniques
Time Periods
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1000 - 1400 CE Art Metadata · 99%
The catalog dates the work to approximately 1260–1280, within the 1000–1400 CE range.
Cultural and Religious Styles
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Byzantine Art Metadata · 98%
The catalog identifies the work as Byzantine 13th Century, possibly from Constantinople.
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Christian Art and Architecture Both · 99%
The Christian devotional subject is identified by the catalog and reinforced visually by halos, a cross-marked halo around the child, angels, and a sacred gold ground.
Source & rights
Byzantine 13th Century (possibly from Constantinople). Madonna and Child on a Curved Throne. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.