Madonna Aracoeli

The treasury of Prague cathedral holds three panel paintings with the subject of Madonna Aracoeli (the Intercessor), named after the Roman church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, i.e. the place where the Byzantine model of this type is deposited. The earliest of these paintings is undoubtedly the work by the Master of the Třeboň Altarpiece from around 1390. The master’s bravura is mainly apparent in the figures of the saint maidens and prophets with inscription bands on the frame of the painting, while the central panel with the Madonna faithfully imitates the old Byzantine model. It is the earliest Bohemian panel painting furnished with an original painted frame.