Signed and dated 1367, this panel is one of the earliest works by Barnaba da Modena, who was primarily active in Genoa. It originally formed the central panel of a large, multipartite altarpiece whose original location is unknown, as are the present whereabouts of its other panels. While the greenish skin tones and the rich gold of Mary’s robe show that the artist is clearly still indebted to the Italo-Byzantine tradition of the icon, his rendering of the intimate communion of mother and child and his lifelike depiction of the Christ child indicate that he was also familiar with the painting of the time in Siena and Florence.