Description
The Virgin and Child with Two Angels is one of Cimabue's most distinctive works because of its small scale and its original function as part of a devotional ensemble. In contrast to the painter's monumental Maestà panels, this image translates the enthroned Virgin into an intimate format intended to be viewed at close range, encouraging a more personal relationship between the worshipper and the sacred image.
The Virgin sits on a wooden throne shown at an oblique angle, raised on a platform and accompanied by a small footstool. Cimabue attempts to give the throne a genuine three-dimensional structure, using its architectural components to suggest depth. Although the spatial construction does not yet follow a fully coherent system of perspective, it marks an important development beyond the flatter conception typical of many Byzantine prototypes.
