Branchini Madonna
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1427
Giovanni di Paolo (Italian, 1403–1482)
Tempera and gold leaf on panel
The Norton Simon Foundation
Surrounded by multi-winged seraphim, the Virgin Mary is presented holding the infant Jesus who reaches tenderly for his mother and slightly touches her diaphanous veil. God the Father is also surrounded by a heavenly host above and gestures in both blessing and judgment. The dove representing the Holy Spirit radiates divine light. A variety of luminous effects were achieved with stamping and tooling gold, and as a result of the inclusion of glass gems set within Mary’s crown. Seen in candlelight, the whole ensemble would have been spectacularly spiritual. Attention to such natural details as the flowers strewn beneath Mary and the sumptuous fabrics contributes to the overall splendor and the theological message. Roses, carnations, marigolds and corn-flowers, for example, are symbols associated with the Holy Family and the Trinity and interestingly are also elements woven into the textiles. The painting is in a fine state of preservation. It is rare for a panel of this scale to have survived almost completely intact. The artist inscribed on the bottom of the frame in Latin “Giovanni of Siena son of Paolo painted [this in] 1427.” Additional inscriptions include the opening lines of the Ave Maria and a poignant petition written within Mary’s halo: “I painted this for you. Virgin, Protect this man.”
Examining Giovanni di Paolo’s Branchini Madonna
In the fall of 2016, Giovanni di Paolo’s magnificent Branchini Madonna traveled across Los Angeles for technical analysis and conservation treatment as part of an ongoing collaboration between the Norton Simon Museum and the J. Paul Getty Museum. In a video conversation, Curator Gloria Williams Sander interviews Yvonne Szafran, former senior conservator and head of the Paintings Conservation Department at the Getty, about her study of Giovanni’s early panel painting. Revelations from Szafran’s scientific analysis include how the 24-year-old painter used both azurite and lapis lazuli in the Virgin Mary’s cloak, which then lightened over time, and how Giovanni applied layers of translucent paint over gold to create a shimmering surface.
