Why was this made, and how was it used?
This painting was made for both public and private devotional practices. Oftentimes, Italian panel paintings were portable objects and could easily be transmitted from churches to one’s individual home. Though this painting is not an actual icon recognized by the Christian church, it is reminiscent of a true icon and was most likely used in a similar devotional way.
According to Lyudmila Milyayeva in her novel Icons, she asserts that from the fourth century on, Byzantium exerted a political and religious influence on Christian Europe. After iconoclasm: The struggle between the iconoclasts and the supporters of icons led to the formulation of an icon’s role in religious ceremonies and created a decorative aesthetic art that became known to be the “Byzantine” style. After this re-interest in Byzantium, many countries in Europe sought to preserve the “Byzantine” style in art. Thus, Italian panel paintings that were produced towards the end of the thirteenth century were portable and could be used in both public and private settings.
Specifically, many thirteenth-century Italian panel paintings were displayed on altars and were moved to the top and center to draw a viewer’s attention. Though many panel paintings were used as altarpieces, some were commissioned by private patrons. Independent panels that were not part of a diptych or a triptych were typically used in a domestic setting During this period, many Christians sought a stronger emotional connection with the Virgin and baby Jesus. Not only did Italian Christians wish to be physically close to these paintings, but they also wanted to be emotionally and spiritually closer to them. Thus, by placing these panel paintings in a home, individuals could always be around images of the Virgin and Child even when they were not attending a public mass or other religious ceremony.