Battista di Biagio Sanguigni, formerly known as the Master of 1419

(Florence 1393–1451)
Madonna and Child enthroned with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Peter,
oil and tempera on panel, gold ground, shaped top, 77 x 49 cm, framed
Provenance:
Private collection, Vienna

Battista di Biagio Sanguigni has until recently been known under the moniker of the Master of 1419, referring to the central panel of the Santa Maria a Latera Altarpiece (Cleveland Museum of Art, inv. no. 1954.834), depicting a Madonna and Child enthroned, that is inscribed and dated 1419 along its base. The master, active in Florence, has been recognised as playing an important role in the transition from the Gothicism of Lorenzo Monaco, in whose workshop he probably trained, to Fra Angelico’s classicising style. Close connections between Fra Angelico and Sanguigni are documented as early as 1417 and the artists worked for the same patrons. It is possible that the older Sanguigni had an influence on Fra Angelico, especially in the design of his innovative altarpiece of San Domenico in Fiesole.

The present composition is dominated by the enthroned Madonna, who is depicted in large scale and therefore following the rules of hierarchical proportion. The Christ Child is seated on the Madonna’s lap, the dark fabric of her heavy mantle supports the Child’s body. With his right arm raised, the Christ Child seems to be holding on to his mother’s translucent veil. The throne on which the Madonna sits is covered with a red fabric decorated with floral patterns. The two saints on both sides seem to have weightless, elongated bodies, wrapped in elegantly folded draperies.

The scene is shown in an interior, and the figural group is placed on a floor covered with floral tiles. The artist has experimented here with the early achievements of central perspective by letting the joints of the tiles converge on a central point, even if he has not yet succeeded in achieving precise perspective.
Specialist: Mark MacDonnell