Virgin and Child

In 1425, Jacopo della Quercia was commissioned to make the sculptural decorations for the west doors of the Basilica di San Petronio in Bologna. He worked on the project for the rest of his life. The monumental work was unfinished at the time of his death, only receiving its final form in the early sixteenth century. In the lunette above the doors we see a statue of the Virgin and Child positioned between Saint Ambrose and Saint Petronius, the patron saint of Bologna. Michelangelo, who was profoundly influenced by the art of Jacopo della Quercia, referred to this work of the Sienese sculptor as the most beautiful Madonna of the quattrocento.