A New Exhibition of Italian Art Opens at The Met
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue through January 26, 2025, Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300–1350 examines a remarkable moment at the dawn of the Italian Renaissance.
In the decades leading up to the catastrophic onset of the plague around 1350, the Tuscan city of Siena saw a period of exceptional artistic innovation and activity. A golden age of peace and prosperity prompted spectacular commissions that transformed Siena’s civic and religious buildings, while small-scale paintings were collected and admired far and wide. Often positioned as the center of the Renaissance is Florence; however, this presentation offers a fresh perspective on the importance of Siena.
Drawing from The Met collection and beyond, including rare loans from dozens of major lenders, the exhibition features more than 100 paintings, sculptures, textiles, and creations in metal—ranging from large works made for public display to intimate objects created for private devotion—by an extraordinary group of Sienese artists.
Among them is Duccio di Buoninsegna (Italian, active by 1278–died 1318), the founder of the Sienese school of painting. Duccio brought intense spiritual gravity to the formalized Italo-Byzantine tradition, the result of a long and interconnected history between Italy and the Byzantine empire. (Italy occupied the empire’s western border until the late 11th century, after which the link was maintained through trade.) This enduring relationship is evident in the art of the period, which synthesized Byzantine iconography with lyrical Italian expressiveness.
In a small devotional panel of the Madonna and Child (ca. 1290–1300)—the only work by Duccio in The Met collection as so few of his paintings survive—the spiritual world of the figures and the tangible world of the viewer are united. It depicts the Christ Child gently pushing away the veil of his mother, whose sorrowful expression reflects her foreknowledge of his crucifixion. The painting, which displays clear signs of use in the way of two burn holes from devotional candles that ate into the bottom of the frame, would have hung in a domestic interior, where it was intended to be observed from a kneeling position. When seen from this perspective, the parapet, or low wall, that contains the divine duo appears to welcome us into the emotive scene.
Art Christmas Cards at The Met
Another figure central to the Museum’s exhibition is Simone Martini (Italian, 1284–1344), a leading Sienese painter whose luminous Archangel Gabriel from The Annunciation (1320–1330), in the collection of the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp, Belgium, is on our Martini: Angel Gabriel Holiday Cards. This box of 15 foil-stamped cards with envelopes is the perfect way to send artful season’s greetings. Each card opens to reveal the message, “Merry Christmas.”
Angels frequently feature on our art-inspired Christmas cards, such as the Botticelli: The Annunciation Holiday Cards. This set of 15 cards pays homage to The Annunciation (ca. 1485-92) by Botticelli (Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi) (Italian, 1444/45–1510), in which the Angel Gabriel delivers news to the Virgin Mary that she's to bear the son of God.
The Limbourg Brothers: The Belles Heures of Jean de France, duc de Berry Holiday Cards likewise celebrate an angelic scene from a majestic illuminated manuscript at The Met Cloisters. Read our blog post to learn more about the Limbourg brothers, the trio of teenage siblings who produced what’s now considered the largest and best-preserved collection of early 15th-century paintings to come out of Northern Europe.
The Madonna and Child is another one of the most popular references in art history and a fan favorite at The Met Store. Images of the Mother and Child pervade The Met’s exhibition; in the 13th century, the Sienese dedicated their city to the Virgin Mary, whose image was emblazoned on all official documents, with the inscription, “May the Virgin protect ancient Siena whose beauty she preserves.”
Among our tributes to this beloved subject is the Dürer: Virgin on the Crescent Fine Holiday Cards reinterpreting Albrecht Dürer's (German, 1471–1528) serene engraving (ca. 1499) in The Met collection. This radiant image of the Virgin and Child is embellished with foil, and each envelope is luxuriously lined. Golden seals bearing a selection of The Met's logos, past and present, lend an artful finishing touch to your greeting. This elevated set of 10 cards and 10 envelopes belongs to a new offering of fine holiday cards newly introduced to The Met Store’s lineup.
Wish your loved ones a "Joyous Christmas" with our set of 15 cards showing a detail from Anthony van Dyck's (Flemish, 1599–1641) Virgin and Child with Saint Catherine of Alexandria (ca. 1630). In the arms of his mother, the infant Jesus responds with playful enthusiasm to the adoring gaze of Saint Catherine, identified by her pearls and a martyr's palm. The picture's warmth and elegance reflect Van Dyck's great admiration for North Italian artists such as Titian and Veronese during his years in Italy (1621–27).
Or, opt for a more modern interpretation of the subject with our Earle: Madonna and Child and Wise Men Holiday Cards. The original illustration, Madonna and Child and Wise Men (1961), was created by Eyvind Earle (American, 1916–2000), an illustrator, sculptor, and Disney animator whose work is in The Met collection.
The Nativity is also a classic Christmas scene well represented at The Met Store. Our unique folding Gerard David: The Nativity Triptych Holiday Cards, with images on the inside and outside panels, evoke a triptych (1510–15) painted by Gerard David (Netherlandish, ca. 1455–1523). The inside panels, depicting a group of saints flanking a Nativity scene, are from The Met collection. The serene forest on the outside is reproduced from paintings in the collection of the Royal Cabinet of Paintings, Mauritshuis, The Hague.
Providing an alternative reimagining of the Nativity is our Mars: Nativity Holiday Cards, which showcase an endearing scene originally painted by W. T. Mars (American, 1912–1985) in 1967.
Art Cards for the Holidays
At The Met Store, you’ll find all manner of Christmas stationery, gifts, and decor inspired by art, from holiday cards to our new Museum Favorites Advent Countdown and ornaments.
*Purchase, Rogers Fund, Walter and Leonore Annenberg and The Annenberg Foundation Gift, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, Annette de la Renta Gift, Harris Brisbane Dick, Fletcher, Louis V. Bell, and Dodge Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, several members of The Chairman's Council Gifts, Elaine L. Rosenberg and Stephenson Family Foundation Gifts, 2003 Benefit Fund, and other gifts and funds from various donors, 2004