Enthroned Madonna with angels 1420

Gentile da Fabriano made this painting of the Enthroned Madonna with angels, likely around the 1420s, using tempera on wood. This is a devotional image, but also a display of wealth and status for the person who commissioned it, as the ultramarine pigment of Mary’s robe was more expensive than gold. Fabriano worked in Florence during a time of increasing patronage of the arts, not only by the church, but by wealthy families like the Medici, who had close ties to the religious institutions of the city. This art supported those institutions and families. Note how the architecture of the throne echoes that of Florentine churches. The monks below may be singing in praise of Mary, but also of the person who paid for the painting, who wanted their generosity to be known. To truly understand this artwork, one might want to research the patronage system of Renaissance Florence, as well as the iconography of the Madonna in art history. Through this historical contextualization, we can better appreciate the social and institutional forces that shaped its creation and meaning.