Madonna and Child Enthroned with Two Angels. Artist: Fra Filippo Lippi (Italian, Florence ca. 1406-1469 Spoleto). Dimensions: Arched top, 48 1/4 x 24 3/4 in. (122.6 x 62.9 cm). Date: ca. 1440.
The Virgin holds a rose as the Bride of Christ and is seated on the Throne of Wisdom. The scroll held by an angel reads: "Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits." (Ecclesiasticus 24:19) The picture is the center of an important triptych. Lippi was the most innovative painter in Italy and closely attentive to Netherlandish painting: notable here is his varied study of light and the active pose of the child, perhaps inspired by the sculpture of Donatello.