Madonna and Child with Angels

Executed in oil on panel, the work displays the early use of chiaroscuro, with subtle gradations of light and shadow modeling the figures against the dark background. The delicate rendering of textures, such as the velvet of Mary’s robe and the smoothness of the angels’ tunics, demonstrates the artist’s training in the Padua workshop of Francesco Squarcione.

The painting bears an inscription identifying the artist as Giorgio Schiavone, a Dalmatian native who studied under Squarcione in Padua. After remaining in private collections, it entered the art market in 1922, was acquired by Henry Walters in 1925, and subsequently entered the holdings of the Walters Art Museum, where it remains on view.

Schiavone’s work reflects the cross‑cultural exchange between Dalmatia and northern Italy in the mid‑15th century. His training in Squarcione’s studio placed him within a network of artists who emphasized linear perspective and detailed naturalism, traits evident in the precise rendering of the angels’ instruments and the botanical elements.