Madonna and Child

The Maestro di San Miniato, recently traced to the name of Lorenzo di Giovanni di Nofri (Bernacchioni, 1992), was a pupil of Neri di Bicci (Florence 1418/20 – 1492) in 1465-1466 and already had his own workshop in 1472 at the “canto dei Servi” in Florence. Lorenzo di Giovanni di Nofri’s works, like those attributed to Pseudo Pier Francesco Fiorentino, are significantly affected by the experiences of Filippo Lippi (Florence 1406 – Spoleto 1469) and Pesellino (Florence 1422 c. – 1457). The work, complete with its wooden tabernacle “best represents the response of a Master, catering to the devotional needs of clients who desired engaging images in line with traditional iconography whilst at the same time being less costly” (DalliRegoli, 1988). The Child and the Virgin hold the pomegranate in their hands, the fruit symbol of royalty but also of the Passion of Jesus. Pieces of gold decoration can be seen in the edges of the robe, while the landscape with the sky is the graphic translation of the AVE REGINA CELORUM. This tabernacle is hypothesised to be a work of maturity, due to some references to Verrocchio’s forms, but above all due to the presumed contacts with Francesco Botticini (Florence 1446-1498), with whom he had shared his years of apprenticeship at Neri di Bicci. (Bernacchioni, 1992).

The artwork is currently on the display in the exhibition “Il papa guerriero. Giuliano della Rovere e gli uomini d'arme di Anghiari".