Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints Peter, Paul, John the Baptist, and Dominic and a Dominican Supplicant

In 1260 Gerard de Frachet, an early chronicler of the Dominican order, noted that the friars had “in their cells . . . before their eyes images of Mary and her crucified son, so that while reading, praying, and sleeping they could look upon them and be looked upon by them, with eyes of compassion.” This image of the Virgin and Child with saints would have served such a purpose. A Dominican friar kneels before the enthroned Virgin, just below the figure of Saint Dominic, who intercedes on the friar’s behalf. Traces of hinges on the left edge suggest that the piece was part of diptych, probably paired with a painting of the Crucifixion.