Conclusions of the Madonna and Child Panels

From historical records, the height of Fra Filippo's commissions from the Medici and their circle of followers occurred between the years 1445 to 1460. His art was produced largely for the lay community and included symbolism for communicating political and societal stature. Placing his work within the context of painting for a variety of patrons with specific desires may be one means of explaining why Filippo's style contains differences. The preferences of the patrons demanded that he conform to what they wanted the painting to portray and not how he believed the work should be executed.

Tarquinia Madonna, 1437, Filippo Lippi, tempera on panel, 114 cm x 65 cm, National Gallery, Rome

The NGA and Walters panels were produced during the 1440s after his first documented panel of 1437 known as the Tarquinia Madonna, which is named for the Italian town where it resided. This panel is an excellent study for discerning the stylistic changes of Fra Lippi. It set a precedent for what patrons expected from the creative imagination of the artist and provides the foundation for comparing subsequent works, such as the two panels of this discussion. Considering these 3 paintings in regard to their production within the same 10 years of Lippi's career, many similarities exist in the manner of illustrating the relationship of Mother and Child. A certain characteristic element of the artist's understanding of this subject is established and reproduced in the later paintings. However, Fra Lippi chose to render the Madonna and Child composition differently in the Walters painting. Why?

Filippo had already established his own artistic style and repeated many of the same elements in his works. The Tarquinia Madonna possesses the same chubby infant that is seen in the NGA and Walters panels. As in the Baltimore version, the baby hugs His mother's neck and leans dependently upon her shoulder for support. The clothing that dresses Him is similar to the garments that dress the NGA baby, and the modeling to illustrate the folds of the cloth is the same. Except for reversing the weight shift from the right to the left leg, Jesus' legs extend and bend in almost exactly the same degree in the Tarquinia and NGA pieces. Taking into account that the Walters panel is the latest of these 3 works, there is a sense that a closer correlation can be made between the compositional style of the Tarquinia and NGA paintings. Does this mean that the Walters painting is not from the hand of the master?

One theory may be that the Walters Madonna is from students of the friar painter. During Fra Lippi's career, his workshop enjoyed exceptional popularity in Florence. Many commissions from a variety of patrons caused the friar to receive requests for more paintings than he could produce on his own. He also had a responsibility to pass along his artistic talent to apprentices who needed proper training in technique. With this in mind, the Walters panel may simply be an example of the master's training of a student. Clearly, it contains the same delicate nature of the Tarquinia and NGA paintings and portrays the sublime relationship of Mother and Child. But why has the architectural style that Lippi refined been reverted to a goldleaf background?

For Filippo to create a work that steps back from the progressive style that imitates the sculptural forms of Masaccio does not make sense. The Renaissance was a time of exploiting architectural lines and Fra Lippi had begun his career with this intent. In his Tarquinia and NGA Madonna and Child paintings, he creates a realm of dimension that is all but absent in the Walters panel. To be a successful Florentine artist, though, Filippo was responsible to indulge the patron and produce a work that represented their ideals. Consequently, his artistic talent could only be explored to the extent that it conformed to the intentions of the patron. Most likely the Walters panel was executed under express conditions for the patronage who sought a traditional depiction of the Virgin and Child.

In Jeffrey Ruda's comparison of the two panels he suggests, "...these two panels by themselves do not represent a trend in Fra Filippo's art. Rather, they are still more evidence that the ‘style' of each painting may result from choices peculiar to that commission, within a developing naturalism that must be studied in very broad terms." Essentially, Fra Filippo was responding to the demands for a gold backdrop and was responsible to produce a devotional piece within those constraints. Although Ruda believes the Walters panel to be autograph, additional insight leads to the understanding that this panel is from the workshop of the friar. More likely Fra Lippi painted the facial features and left the details and background to a student. By combining the theories that the Walters panel is a result of the patron's taste but that it comes from the workshop of Filippo Lippi, an evolving theory develops that attributes multiple factors as the cause of these stylistic changes.

Many influences impacted Fra Filippo Lippi and his career demonstrates progressive change. He lived a life that would make for an interesting modern day mini-series. His youth with the Carmelites began his artistic training and led to his ordination as friar. Subsequently he met Lucretia, the woman with whom he had children and eventually was permitted to marry. Did his experiences in life and love provide Filippo the sentimental understanding that is depicted in his art? Throughout his works, there are gentle reminders of his spiritual training united with natural portraits of motherhood. Perhaps this is achieved by his personal experiences combining with his artistic talent: his education by the Carmelites, and also becoming a husband and father is unique. In Fra Filippo's representations, the Madonna and Child are touched with beauty and human emotion that are from the imagination of a romantic lover of life.