Madonna and Child with Saints

Art Historical Context

This large-scale altarpiece by Girolamo dai Libri, created around 1520, presents the Madonna and Child enthroned amid saints, angels, and peacocks. Its impressive height of nearly fourteen feet and arched top suggest it was designed as a church centerpiece, drawing worshippers into a sacred narrative through its monumental presence. Painted in a combination of tempera and oil on canvas, the work reflects the transitional techniques of the early Renaissance, where artists achieved both the luminous detail of tempera and the depth possible with oils. The prominent peacocks among the tags carry ...