Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist and Angels 1460 - 1500

This tempera on wood panel, depicting the Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist and Angels, was made around 1500 by an artist known only as Pseudo-Pier Francesco Fiorentino. Egg tempera, the medium used here, requires great skill. Pigments are mixed with egg yolk and applied in thin, translucent layers. The luminous quality of the colors, and the fine detail, speak to the artist's mastery. But tempera is not forgiving: it dries quickly, making corrections difficult. A tight, precise painting like this is inherently labor intensive. Although we tend to think of painting as a cerebral activity, this panel reminds us of the intense physical discipline involved. Consider the countless hours spent grinding pigments, preparing the wood panel, and meticulously applying each brushstroke. This work challenges the traditional hierarchy between art and craft, inviting us to appreciate the artist's dedication to materials and process, as much as the final image.