Madonna and Child 1296 - 1327

Lippo di Benivieni painted this ‘Madonna and Child’, whose date is unknown, using tempera and gold on wood. The artwork, with its pointed apex, presents a formal structure that directs the gaze upwards. The Virgin Mary and the infant Christ occupy a single plane, their halos emphasizing their divine status. Note how the dove descending from above completes the vertical axis, connecting the Holy figures to the divine. Benivieni’s composition uses a sophisticated interplay of vertical and horizontal lines. The folds in the garments and the positioning of the figures within the panel are not merely decorative but function as structuring elements. This adds a sense of depth to what is essentially a flat space. This technique is evident in Benivieni's contemporaries, who aimed to capture the symbolic rather than the literal, thus elevating the spiritual significance of the artwork.