Virgin and Child Enthroned with Two Angels Holding a Crown 1505 - 1515

Ansano Ciampanti painted this panel of the Virgin and Child, probably in Siena, during the 15th century. Mary sits regally enthroned, as if she were a queen, with two angels poised to crown her. She is the Queen of Heaven. It is this royal status that speaks most clearly to the social function of this painting. The Church was an enormous political power in Siena, as in the rest of Italy, and religious images like this one reinforced its authority. It was in the interest of the Church to portray the divine as majestic and powerful. Thus, even a mother and child take on the trappings of royalty. We can see this artistic trend across the Italian peninsula at the time, as art became closely allied to the ambitions of powerful institutions. To understand art fully, one must consider such socio-political contexts; in doing so, historians consult a range of primary source materials, from church records to personal letters.