About this artwork
The small size of this beautifully made altarpiece, used as an aid to prayer and meditation, meant that it was easily portable and could be taken on journeys. The open wings reveal an image of Christ's Crucifixion flanked by smaller scenes. The choice of subjects must have had special significance for the patron. On the left are the Nativity and the Crucifixion of St Peter (he was crucified upside down). Opposite, and rather unusual in a wing, are The Enthroned Virgin and Child with Saints and St Nicholas donating the Dowries (thereby allowing an impoverished nobleman's daughters to marry).
Updated before 2020
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artist:Bernardo DaddiItalian (died 1348)
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title:Triptych
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date created:1338
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materials:Tempera, silver (tarnished) and gold on panel
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measurements:Wing (left): 58.00 x 15.50 cm; Wing (right): 57.70 x 15.20 cm; Centre (inside mouldings): 53.50 x 28.00 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased 1938
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accession number:NG 1904
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
Bernardo Daddi
Bernardo Daddi
Bernardo Daddi ran a large and busy workshop in Florence in the first half of the fourteenth century. He had trained with Giotto, the leading artist of the time, whose innovative style moved away from traditional formulae towards more naturalistic description in which figures appeared to be solid...