Cenni di Francesco di Ser Cenni, The Coronation of the Virgin with Saints: Detail, Madonna and Child
1390s
Tempera and gold leaf on panel
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
The child's garment is typical for the 14th century, much less formal than in earlier periods. As usual, his feet are bare. The goldfinch in his hand relates to Christ's passion: this bird was said to nest in the kind of plants from which the soldiers fashioned the Crown of Thorns.
Mary's clothing differs from the usual blue mantle over red robe. Here she wears a separate cloak and veil of different colors, and her robe is white.
The figure in the right foreground can be identified as St. Bonaventure by the crucifix, red cope, episcopal mitre, and what appears to be a Franciscan habit (gray, with a rope belt). The saint in the left foreground may be another Franciscan; the artist did a number of important works for the order's churches. The two saints left and right of the central figures are not identified.
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Photographed at the site by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.