Sacred Conversation – Kunsthistorisches Museum – Vienna
At the center of a bare setting, where only a balustrade frame the characters, the Madonna is sitting on a four-poster throne raised by a base that bears the inscription PRESBITER. IOHANNES. CHRISTOFORI. DETERRENO. FIERI. FECIT. MCCCCLXXXX.III. This not only allows us to date back the painting to 1493 with certainty, but also to know the name of the patron, the presbyter Giovanni di Cristoforo de Terreno; the painting was probably originally conceived for the church of San Pietro a Terreno, near Figline (Florence).
The Virgin, elegantly dressed in a red dress and a green coat, turns her gaze to the right, while the Child, sitting on her knees, looks towards the viewer and raises a hand as a sign of blessing.
The central group is surrounded by four saints: on the left Peter and Paul, on the right John the Evangelist and John the Baptist.
The large draperies of the garments contribute to the construction of static and monumental figures; in general, the composition creates a sense of solemn calm and sacred dignity, enhanced by the harmony of colors and atmospheric lighting.
The painting, attested in 1646 as property of Cardinal Giovanni Carlo de’ Medici, entered the collection of the Kuntshistorisches Museum in Vienna in 1796. The work is preserved at the Kunthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
