Who made this?
The painting was done by an anonymous Italian artist who goes by the pseudonym “Master of the Saints Cosmas and Damian Madonna.” Though the identification of this artist is largely unknown, he most likely was grouped with other famous Northern Italian artists in the thirteenth century that also created panel paintings of the Virgin and Child. It is highly possible that the painter of this piece worked with other famous Northern Italian artists such Florentine, Giotto di Bondone (1266/76-1337), Roman, Pietro Cavallini (1240-1330), and Sienese, Duccio di Buoninsegna (1278-1318). These three Northern Italian artists helped transform the Italo-Byzantine style.
In particular, the Master of Saints Cosmas and Damian Madonna and Duccio are similar for their ability to evoke divine presence through their paintings as though they were authentic icons. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Duccio “brought a lyrical expressiveness and intense spiritual gravity to the Italo-Byzantine tradition” and “bridged the gap between the spiritual world of the figures and the real world of the viewer.” This description of Duccio’s work may be applied to the artist of this painting. In “The Virgin and Child” it is evident that the artist wanted to enhance the viewer’s connection with these two holy figures. Therefore, one may argue that he too bridged the gap between humans and the divine.
