The focus of this meditative scene is the Virgin nursing the infant Christ. An elderly gentleman on the left bows his head in prayer. Though he is without definitively identifying attributes, his red cloak may indicate that he is Saint Jerome, who is often shown wearing the red robes of a cardinal. The coats of arms of two noble families of the city of Lucca hang from the pilasters which flank the Madonna: the Guinigi to the left, the Buonvisi to the right. The painting may have been commissioned to celebrate the union of these prominent Italian families. Directly below Saint Jerome, a donor gazes up at the Virgin and Child, his hat removed and hands clasped in reverence. He may be Michele Guinigi, a member of a wealthy merchant family who was pledged to marry Caterina Buonvisi. Caterina herself perhaps appears on the right, in the guise of her namesake Saint Catherine of Alexandria, who holds a broken wheel, the symbol of her martyrdom.
A tondo, derived from the Italian word rotondo, meaning round, was a type of painting that was circular in format which enjoyed particular popularity for display in domestic settings in central Italy in the second half of the fifteenth century. Its shape is thought to derive, in part, from the so-called desco da parto or “birth tray”—a circular decorative tray on which sweetmeats were presented to new mothers. The round format soon migrated to paintings which were produced to celebrate a marriage union or the birth of a child, to express hope for a pregnancy or the safe delivery of a child.
The painting’s authorship was uncertain at the time it entered the Getty collection, when the artist was known as “Master of the Lathrop Tondo,” in reference to the painting’s former location in the Lathrop collection in New York. By 1985, a body of work of approximately thirty paintings was attributed to the unknown artist, who was later identified as Lucchese painter Michelangelo di Pietro Membrini.
We make each of our prints one at a time—just for you.
Our Giclée Prints are printed here in Switzerland, one at a time, on heavy matte German art paper using the finest 12-color Canon archival inks. Some images are panoramic or tall and narrow—please select the 18" x 36" format for these.
Our Premium Museum Frame in Black is custom-made in Lugano, Switzerland, using natural wood moulding in a matte black satin finish. Each includes thick, hand-cut white mat boards and Plexiglass glazing. We tailor and print each image to fit its specific ratio and dimensions within our custom-made frames. The hand-cut mats are extra thick. Each bespoke museum frame ships in a custom box. Rush shipping is available for projects with tight deadlines—this is our specialty, and you will not be disappointed.
Our Antiqued Museum Frame in Gold is a high-quality frame made of solid wood, featuring traditional 19th-century cast plaster moulded details and closed corners. These frames are works of art in themselves, each with a unique patina. The hand-rubbed corners and gold finish evoke the elegance of times past. Your selected image is printed on German art paper with archival inks and mounted to quality art board within the frame. Plexiglass is added for print protection and the back is covered with Kraft paper and a hanger is supplied ready to hang..
Our Stretched Canvas prints are hand-stretched over 1.25" thick pine bars and printed with archival inks on a cotton-poly matte finish canvas. These are best-in-industry Swiss-quality canvases, hand-coated for UV protection.
Wall Murals are printed on a matte-finish, self-adhesive poly/fabric material that mounts easily and is ideal for smooth wall surfaces.
Our Note Cards are amazing—each is printed individually on 100% cotton art paper, comes with a kraft envelope, and is individually sleeved. (Image is scaled to fit the format.)
All of our images are digitized from the original negative or print and printed by our master printer to museum standards.
Questions? Please email service@archivea.com or call/text +41 79 265 8891.
Artwork in this collection is from The J. Paul Getty Museum. Reproduction rights are reserved by the copyright owner and used under license by Archivea GmbH.
