# Fragment

- By: Benedetto Buglioni (Italian, 1461–1521)
- Date: c. 1900–1910
- Medium: glazed terracotta
- Classification: Sculpture
- Dimensions: Overall: 198.1 x 165.1 cm (78 x 65 in.)
- Culture: Italy, Florence
- Credit line: Gift of J. H. Wade
- Museum: [Cleveland Museum of Art](https://clevelandart.org/art/1921.1180.b)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1921.1180.b/1921.1180.b_web.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

The Madonna sits upon a throne with the Christ Child standing on her knee. He is steadied by his mother, turning delicately to grasp the Virgin's robe for support. On the left is St. Francis, identified by his stigmata. On the right, St. Anthony Abbot is identified by his monk's robe and T-shaped walking stick. The brown robes of the saints, the purple of the Virgin's tunic (a shade characteristic of the artist), and the flesh tones of the figures contrast strongly against the bright blue background. In the semicircular sky behind the figures, three winged cherub heads emerge, representing a host of angels.

The inclusion of St. Francis in this altarpiece honors the saint, suggesting that the altarpiece may have been originally built into the wall of a Franciscan institution in Tuscany. Two shields bearing the Borgherini family crest appear in the lower portion of the altarpiece's border, further suggesting that the chapel for which this altarpiece was made was likely owned or endowed by the family.

Glazed terracotta is both durable and decorative and the gleaming white of this piece would have stood out in the darkness of a church. The medium was made popular by Renaissance…