Matteo di Giovanni a Gavorrano: La Pala 432 nella Pinacoteca di Siena

"Matteo di Giovanni left important testimonies of his art in the diocese of Grosseto: in the cathedral of the city there is the venerated image of the Madonna delle Grazie, and in the church of San Niccolò in Montepescali the altarpiece with the Madonna and Child with Saints Guglielmo di Malavalle, Sebastiano, Maria Maddalena, and Lucia. A manuscript of Cione di Ravi now lost, mentions a panel with the Madonna and Child commissioned for the church of Ravi in Sano di Pietro, and then completed by Matteo di Giovanni, and unfortunately dispersed. Altarpiece 432 had remained among the works of this artist of unknown origin, but the composition and iconography of this sacred image, together with the history of Gavorrano, provide us with precious elements to identify its origin and understand its importance for this community. This study therefore adds a piece to the path of this artist in Maremma proposing the church of Gavorrano as the original location of altarpiece 432 today in the Pinacoteca di Siena." (from the preface). Presentation by Rodolfo Cetoloni.