Giotto di Bondone’s Ognissanti Madonna, or Madonna Enthroned, is a tempera on panel which is currently housed in Uffizi Gallery of Florence, Italy. Although currently housed in a gallery, this painting was originally designed to be placed on the high alter for the Ognissanti Franciscan church in Florence. The painting itself represents a conglomerate of painting styles and techniques. The gold and flattened background harkens to the Byzantine style or religious symbology and anagogic space. The icons themselves, Madonna and the Child, also appear stiff and stylized, even made larger in an unrealistic scale difference from the rest of the piece to display their distinction from the material world even further. However, Giotto’s technique is advanced in that he managed to represent a more lifelike rendition of three-dimensionality than usually seen in the Byzantine style. Giotto uses the fabric of the robes around the Madonna to show folding and dimension, and he even uses a bit of shading to give the idols he paints more volume. Another interesting feature of the painting is the throne on which Madonna rests, which is exceedingly decorated and elaborate and also highly reminiscent of Gothic architecture.

Sources Used:

“Giotto, The Ognissanti Madonna (Madonna Enthroned).” Khan Academy. Khan Academy, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2018.

“Ognissanti Madonna.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Sep. 2017. Web. 28 Feb. 2018.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia, page titled Ognissanti Madonna. Image is Public Domain.