Madonna and Child Enthroned

In the pictureInside a pentagonal panel topped with a gold ornament, a throne stands beneath a pointed canopy edged with a red and green sawtooth pattern. Mary, in a red dress and a dark green mantle, sits holding the baby, with a gold star on the shoulder of her mantle. The Child, in a green and white striped garment wrapped in gold cloth, reaches out a hand to touch his mother's chin. A green cloth with a gold pattern hangs behind the throne, and the base below bears quatrefoil and diamond patterns. Small spires stand on either side of the throne, and Mary tilts her head to lean her face toward the Child.

BackgroundBernardo Daddi (about 1290–1348) was a Florentine painter of the generation after Giotto who produced many small pictures for private devotion in a large workshop. This panel is only 25.7 cm high and 9.5 cm wide and is thought to be the central panel of a folding, portable triptych. The gesture of the Child caressing his mother's chin was often used in Madonna and Child paintings of this period to show the tenderness between them. The record notes that it was originally painted on wood, transferred to canvas and then laid down on wood again. It came to the museum in 1975 with the Robert Lehman Collection.

Puzzle tipIt is a tall, narrow pentagon, so it is easiest to start with the triangle at the top. Build the roof with the gold finial and the red and green sawtooth border pieces, then fit the two faces, the halos and the Child's striped garment. The dark green mantle spreads wide toward the bottom, so join it along its gold border line, and finish the bottom with the patterned pieces of the base. The green cloth behind the throne has a fine gold pattern that sets it apart from the green of the mantle. 24 or 48 pieces works well.