Virgin and Child with the Goldfinch

Bernardo Previously attributed to Daddi (school of) 1280 - 1348

Summary

This touching image of the Virgin and Child, set within a Gothic frame and gilded background, may have been the central panel of a polyptych, or altarpiece with many panels, showing saints and scenes from the Gospels. These devotional objects, designed for a church setting, were to help guide people in their prayers. Each panel would have had a carved and gilded frame like this one, with haloes and other motifs punched into the gilding. According to legend, the goldfinch received its red markings on the road to Calvary, when it was stained with Christ's blood on drawing a thorn from his brow; its red breast refers to his future crucifixion. The inscription along the base of the frame, 'Ave Maria Gracia Pl[ena]' (Hail Mary, full of Grace) is the greeting spoken to the Virgin Mary by the Angel Gabriel at the Annunciation (Luke 1. 28). This panel, which is ascribed to the Master of the Merciful Virgin, is one of three copies of a painting in the Biblioteca Berenson, the library of the Villa I Tatti, near Florence.

Display Label

The Virgin and Child with a Goldfinch about 1375 – 80 Follower of Bernardo Daddi about 1290 – 1348 Tempera on panel A mother shows her child a bright bird which pecks gently at his finger. This seems like a charming, almost homely gesture, contrasing with the stately pose of the Virgin and Child. However, when this panel was painted, this motif would also have been seen as a reminder of Christ’s death on the cross. The goldfinch is said to have received its red markings from a drop of Christ’s blood when it flew down to peck a thorn from His brow, as he made His way to the crucifixion. Mother and child are linked by their solemn gaze and by the position of the child’s hands: one almost touches His mother’s, as the bird leans forward to peck Him, while the other is gravely placed on her cheek. We do not know who painted this panel, but it was based on a composition by Bernardo Daddi. He combined the solidity of his Florentine master Giotto with the decorative line of Sienese painting. Purchased with the assistance of the V&A Museum Purchase Grant Fund 1959.29