Madonna and Child with Saints Catherine and John the Baptist

c. 1340–50

Giovanni di Agostino

(Italian, c. 1310–1370)

Italy, Siena

marble with traces of polychromy and gilding

Overall: 70.5 x 52.5 x 5.9 cm (27 3/4 x 20 11/16 x 2 5/16 in.)

In memory of Henry G. Dalton by his nephews, George S. Kendrick and Harry D. Kendrick 1942.1162

Location: On view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, Oct 7, 2024 - Jan 26, 2025

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Description

The Madonna is seated beneath a Gothic-arched canopy flanked by Saints Catherine and John the Baptist. A rectangular frame encloses the group. Most likely from a Sienese church interior, the work is probably a fragment of a larger sculptural program such as a tomb. An authentic Gothic style in sculpture appeared in Tuscany from the mid 1200s through about 1350 elucidated by the work of Giovanni di Agostino, Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, and others who were active on Siena Cathedral’s sculptural program. Agostino’s work suggests an awareness of Gothic sculpture and the decorative arts in France from which he borrowed freely. This relief was probably completed just before the plague of 1348, an event which altered the degree and character of Sienese art.