Val di Chiana Aretina

Madonna di Petrognano

CASTIGLION FIORENTINO

Polychrome wood, 93 x 27 x 20 cm
From the church of Petrognano

The Madonna represents one of the rare preserved examples of 13th-century wooden sculpture. Along with the Madonna della Cintola, it alludes to the concept of the triumphant Madonna of Byzantine origin. At the same time, it reveals her humanity in the gesture of holding the child in her arms. The iconography displays a mix of archaic elements, such as the veil and the "Gothic" folds of the dress, and naturalistic ones, such as the Virgin's facial features, which could push its dating back to the early 14th century and suggest a later local artist.

Polychrome wood, 93 x 27 x 20 cm
From the church of Petrognano

The Madonna represents one of the rare preserved examples of 13th-century wooden sculpture. Along with the Madonna della Cintola, it alludes to the concept of the triumphant Madonna of Byzantine origin. At the same time, it reveals her humanity in the gesture of holding the child in her arms. The iconography displays a mix of archaic elements, such as the veil and the "Gothic" folds of the dress, and naturalistic ones, such as the Virgin's facial features, which could push its dating back to the early 14th century and suggest a later local artist.