Master of the Panzano Triptych - Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints - Walters 37728

Folding triptychs like this were used for private devotion. The enthroned Madonna and Child are flanked by (left to right) Sts. Nicholas, Bartholomew, Catherine of Alexandria, Anthony Abbot, Francis, and Lucy. This composition uses the metaphor of a queen surrounded by her courtiers to depict the Virgin in her role as the Queen of Heaven. The painter simulated the gold embroidered cloth of the Virgin's throne by scratching away the white paint to reveal the underlying gold leaf, which has been pricked to enhance its reflectivity.
Because few artists during this period signed their works, scholars sometimes identify them by their most impressive painting. Here, this anonymous master is known for an altarpiece he created for a church in Panzano, Tuscany, Italy.

For more information on this piece, please see Zeri catalogue number 27, pp. 46-47.

St. Catherine of Alexandria was a 4th-century Christian martyr and saint. According to tradition, she was a learned and beautiful woman who converted to Christianity and became a noted defender of the faith. She was imprisoned and subjected to various tortures, including being broken on a wheel, but survived. She is said to have converted the emperor Maxentius to Christianity before her ultimate execution. St. Catherine is the patron saint of philosophers, students, and preachers and is venerated by the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Coptic Churches.