Description
The Madonna Enthroned with the Child, Saint Francis, Saint Dominic and Two Angels is particularly significant within Cimabue's artistic circle because it combines the traditional imagery of the Maestà with the founders of the two great mendicant orders. Mary appears as the heavenly queen upon a monumental throne, while the Christ Child blesses from her lap. Saint Francis and Saint Dominic occupy the lower sides of the composition, accompanied by two angels behind the throne.
The overall structure retains the solemn authority of Byzantine tradition. The Virgin dominates through her scale and central position, the gold ground removes the figures from ordinary earthly space, and the entire arrangement follows a strict spiritual hierarchy. The Uffizi associate the work with Cimabue but do not regard his direct authorship as universally accepted: poor conservation complicates stylistic examination, and a follower's intervention has been suggested.
