Madonna and Child

Art Historical Context

Behold the tender *Madonna and Child*, ca. 1280 tempera on wood panel attributed to the enigmatic Master of the Magdalen an anonymous Italian artist active in late 13th-century Tuscany. devotional image captures the Virgin Mary cradling the infant Christ, a ubiquitous motif in medieval Christian art symbolizing maternal love and divine incarnation. The irregular shape—measuring 29½ x 18¼ inches—hints at its origins as part of a larger altarpiece or shaped panel, common in churches and private chapels of the era. Crafted in tempera, a technique blending pigments with egg yolk for luminous, jew...