Madonna and Child, Domenico di Bartolo

In the catalogue of the Siena exhibition, it is speculated that the Domenico di Bartolo Madonna and Child was the main panel, though cut down, of the high altarpiece of either Sant' Agostino in Asciano near Siena (1437) or the Carmine in Florence (ca. 1436), the latter among the most prominent churches in Florence . That such an important commission was given to a Sienese artist is perhaps explained by the fact that Domenico di Bartolo was one of the few Sienese artists who attempted to assimilate the more monumental style developed in Florence as opposed to the more lyrical and decorative style of his Sienese contemporaries.