Virgin and Child with Angelsc. 1460 · Study 1916.802

Context from the museum

This painting, produced by one of Fra Filippo Lippi’s many imitators in the city of Florence, is very close to the composition of the now lost central panel of the triptych commissioned by the Medici family in 1457. It was purchased by Mrs. L. E. Holden before the museum’s acquisition of the two flanking panels of Saint Anthony Abbot and Saint Michael. It has been suggested that this painting is a copy of the original lost central panel of Fra Filippo’s triptych of 1457.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Virgin and Child with Angels is 53 cm wide and 95 cm high, equivalent to approximately 20.9 × 37.4 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.56:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.50 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 17.7% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 123.5 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Virgin and Child with Angels in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, tempera and gold on wood panel, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 53 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?