Artwork
Triptych
Triptych is a paint painting by the Byzantine icon painting artist Agnolo Gaddi. It dates from 1394 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1394, the Triptych is a painted work on three panels linked by gold framing, now part of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin’s collection. The central image shows a woman with an infant, flanked by kneeling angels, while six robed figures bearing books or scrolls stand in the surrounding space. The composition is set against a dark backdrop illuminated by gold arches and a luminous blue sky.
Subject & Meaning
The central figures represent the Madonna and Child, a common devotional theme in Christian art. The surrounding six men, identified as Bartholomew the Apostle, Gregory I, John Chrysostom, John the Baptist, and two others, hold liturgical texts, underscoring the work’s religious narrative and its role as an object of veneration.
Technique & Style
Executed in the Byzantine iconographic tradition, the panels combine tempera paint with gilded elements. The gold framing unifies the three sections, while the figures are rendered with a luminous quality that contrasts with the dark background, creating a sense of spiritual radiance typical of late medieval Florentine painting.
History & Provenance
The work was painted by Agnolo Gaddi, a Florentine artist trained by his father Taddeo Gaddi and stylistically linked to Giotto. After a period of commercial activity in Venice, Gaddi returned to Florence, where he died in 1396. The Triptych eventually entered the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.
Context
Produced at the close of the 14th century, the piece reflects the transitional phase between the Gothic and early Renaissance in Italy. Its iconography and compositional format align with contemporary devotional panels intended for private or chapel use, illustrating the continued influence of Byzantine visual conventions in Florentine art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Agnolo Gaddi (c.1350–1396) was an Italian painter. He was born and died in Florence, and was the son of the painter Taddeo Gaddi, who was himself the major pupil of the Florentine master Giotto. Agnolo was a painter…
![Madonna and Child with Saints Andrew, Benedict, Bernard, and Catherine of Alexandria with Angels [entire triptych], by Agnolo Gaddi](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/agnolo-gaddi--madonna-and-child-with-saints-andrew-benedict-bernard-and-ca--93a6585f38530738-w320.webp)
![Madonna and Child Enthroned with Four Saints and Eighteen Angels [middle panel], by Puccio di Simone](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/puccio-di-simone--madonna-and-child-enthroned-with-four-saints-and-eighteen-an--24dd12ad513d60ea-w320.webp)
![Saint Anthony Abbot [left panel], by Puccio di Simone](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/puccio-di-simone--saint-anthony-abbot-left-panel--b93626e2d00b6158-w320.webp)
