Marriage of the Virgin 1434

Fra Angelico painted this scene of the Marriage of the Virgin sometime in the first half of the 15th century, using tempera paint on a wood panel. Tempera is made by binding pigment with egg yolk, a process yielding luminous yet matte effects. Note how Angelico employs the process to its full potential; see if you can discern the layers of paint, finely applied to build up color and form. Look closely, and you'll see the tooling of the gold leaf halos. Panel paintings like this were essential to the devotional life of the time; they would have been commissioned and highly prized. The labor involved in the production of pigments and in the patient application of paint contributes to the spiritual quality of the finished work. Considering the materials, making, and social context of such an artwork helps us to expand our understanding and appreciate this piece more fully.