The tender look between mother and child lifts this medieval painting from gold-laden piety to human profundity. Mary is not so much humble as devoted to her baby. The infant too shows need for her. It’s a heart-wrenching moment of real life and recognisable experience. This Venetian work was painted at a time when Italian artists were pioneering a new sensitivity to gestures and expression, giving art unprecedented emotional power. The cooler, more distant and regal figures of early medieval art were giving way to psychological acuteness and passionate drama. Veneziano shares this new mentality with artists such as Giotto and Simone Martini – and writers like Dante, Boccaccio and Britain’s Geoffrey Chaucer.

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