The Virgin and Child By Master Of The Clarisse

"The Virgin and the Child" of the Master of Clarisse was influenced by Byzantine icons and shows the Virgin and Child along with other Christian images. The surrounding pictures show the salvation of man through Christ, the Annunciation and the Crucifixion. On both sides is the Last Judgment with trumpeting angels calling people from their graves. This icon was probably made for an individual for private worship.

The artist is called "Master of Clarisse" and refers to an anonymous painter, who was named after a painting of the "Virgin and Child on the throne", which is now in the Clarisse Monastery in Siena. He worked in the last third of the 13th century, when the influence of Byzantine icons on Sienese painting was strong.

The virgin and the child

The liturgy, which represents Mary as a powerful advocate, was brought from the Greek to the Latin tradition in the 8th century. With the increasing popularity of the cult of the Virgin, medieval art gained in importance. The term "Madonna" or "Madonna and Child" is used for certain works of Italian art. A "Madonna" can alternatively be called "Virgin" or "Our Lady."

The earliest depictions of mother and child were developed in the Eastern Empire. Byzantine examples show the enthroned Madonna, who even wears the closed Byzantine crown with pearl crust and pendant and on whose lap stands the Christ Child.