Biagio d'Antonio
Italian painter, 1446-1516
Madonna and Child with Saints
About 1490
Tempera and gold leaf on panel
42 x 31 1/4 inches (106.68 x 79.375 centimeters)
Samuel H. Kress Collection
1960.015.000 KBS

In the Renaissance, donors who commissioned altarpieces for churches often had themselves included in the paintings, along with the main subjects. This panel shows two donors (without haloes) offering their devotion to the Virgin and Christ child. They are surrounded by Saints Jerome, Dominic, John the Baptist, and an unidentified saint wearing Bishop's vestments. Saints are often identified by the way they are depicted. Here, for example, Saint Jerome wears the clothing of a cardinal and is shown with his companion lion resting at his feet.