Artist Spotlight: Berlinghiero Berlinghieri — Medieval Icons Explained

When you start researching Berlinghiero Berlinghieri, you might notice something surprising—there isn’t a lot of information out there. Most art history websites only mention him briefly, even though he was one of the few Medieval artists we know anything about. So, I’ve dug into my bookshelf of art history and I’m writing a longer-than-usual post for you. It pulls together what we do know about Berlinghiero, his painting Madonna and Child, and the world in which he worked.

In the sections ahead, we’ll explore what makes his art unique, introduce you to other artworks you can compare it with, review some key vocabulary to help you understand the period. I also share my trusted sources with you so you can dive deeper if you’d like.

Summary: Berlinghiero Berlinghieri, as seen in Madonna and Child, combined Byzantine influence, symbolic details, and a focus on spiritual meaning rather than realism, reflecting the medieval sacred/secular worldview and bridging the gap between traditional iconography and the emerging human-centered art of the early Renaissance.

Classical Conversations Challenge 2 students study Berlinghiero Berlinghieri as part of their debate strand, so this post should be extra helpful for them! For those who’d like to read offline, I tried something new and created an easy to print PDF of this post. Let me know if it’s helpful!! I’m writing articles for other artist the students study this year as well. If you join my email list I’ll let you know as more become available!

Berlinghiero Berlinghieri

Berlinghiero Berlinghieri (c. 1175–1236) was an Italian painter working in the Tuscan city of Lucca during the early 1200s. He came from a family of artists and three of his sons became painters as well. Berlinghiero is remembered as one of the leading figures of early Italian medieval art^[1].

A Painting with a Purpose

Berlinghiero painted, Madonna and Child (pictured above), one of his most famous works, in the 1230s. He lived in a time when most people couldn’t read, so art played an essential role in teaching spiritual truths. In this way, art served the Church more than individual expression. This painting is a carefully designed message of faith, full of symbols that reveal what medieval Christians believed about God, salvation, and worship.

Madonna and Child shows the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus. At first glance, the figures may look a little strange to us modern viewers: their faces and fingers are long, their gestures are awkward, and Jesus appears almost like a miniature adult rather than a baby^[2]. But these choices were intentional. Artists used symbols instead of realism to teach viewers:

Mary’s deep blue robe symbolizes purity and royalty.
Jesus’ red robe represents His divine life.
The gold background reminds viewers of the radiance of heaven.
Jesus holds a scroll, symbolizing Scripture, and raises His hand in blessing.
Mary gestures toward Jesus, showing that He is the way to salvation

Icons and the Hodegetria Style

Berlinghiero’s painting follows the Byzantine Hodegetria format, which means “She Who Shows the Way.” In this traditional composition from at least as early as 500AD, Mary cradles Jesus with her left arm while using her right hand to point to Him. The Hodegetria image evolved over the years and became one of the most beloved and widely copied icon types in both Eastern and Western Christian art^[3].

Icons like this one were not just decorative. In the medieval Christian world, they were seen as spiritual tools—windows into the divine. Some believed that icons helped them connect directly with the holy figures they depicted. Others even thought certain icons could bring healing or blessings^[4].

The Iconoclasm Controversy

There was a lot of disagreement in the Church about the use of icons. In the eighth and ninth centuries, the Christian Church faced a heated debate known as the Iconoclastic Controversy(literally “image-breaking”). Some Christians feared that using images in worship could lead to idolatry, breaking God’s commandment against worshipping “graven images” (Exodus 20:4).

In AD 726, Emperor Leo III banned icons altogether, and for more than a century, many paintings, sculptures, and stained-glass windows were destroyed. Supporters of icons, however, argued that they were like “sermons in pictures,” helping illiterate believers understand the gospel.

The controversy finally ended in 843, when the Church officially restored icons, a moment still celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Church today^[4].

Berlinghiero’s Madonna and Child, painted several centuries later (around 1230), reflects the lasting influence of Byzantine icon traditions long after icons were accepted again.

Sacred vs. Secular in the Middle Ages

Berlinghiero also lived during a period when life was deeply divided into sacred (holy) and secular (everyday) realms^[5]. The Church dominated much of European life, and art was seen primarily as a way to honor God.

Some medieval Christians believed the physical world was temporary and corrupt, while the spiritual world was eternal and pure. As a result of this Neo-Platonism, artists avoided realism, choosing instead to create symbolic, “otherworldly” images that pointed believers toward heaven^[2].

Berlinghiero Berlinghieri’s mosaic at the facade of the Basilica di San Frediano in Lucca, Italy(Photo by Jeff Warder)

This explains why Berlinghiero’s figures, like the ones in his mosaic at the facade of the Basilica di San Frediano (above) look solemn and flat rather than naturalistic. Their expressions are serious, inviting viewers into prayer and reflection. The goal was not to depict reality but to reveal spiritual truth.

The Coming Shift Toward Realism

Berlinghiero’s art represents an important moment in art history, linking the symbolic style of Byzantine icons and the early steps toward more natural and emotional art that would emerge later with artists like Cimabue and Giotto.

While Berlinghiero followed the traditional Byzantine medieval style, Italian art was already beginning to change as the Renaissance began! Just a few decades later, painters like Cimabue and his student Giotto would start experimenting with naturalism, depth, and emotion in their work.

For example, Giotto’s Ognissanti Madonna (c. 1310) uses light, shadow, and perspective to make Mary’s throne look three-dimensional—something Berlinghiero never aimed for^[6]. This shift marks the slow transition from medieval iconography to the Renaissance focus on realism and human emotion.

If you’d like to learn more about this turning point, check out my blog posts on Giotto.

How does Berlinghiero Berlinghieri’s Madonna and Child Compare?

Here are some other works of art that you might compare Madonna and Child to. Take some time looking at each of these prior to reading the similarities and differences I noticed. What similarities and differences do you see?

Artwork: Saint Francis Altarpiece by Bonaventura Berlinghieri (son of Berlinghiero Berlinghieri), 1235
- Similarity: Uses a gold background, flat figures, and symbolic gestures, reflecting the Byzantine style
- Difference: Berlinghiero’s figures look more natural, with softer lines and gentler expressions—reflecting a shift toward a more relational representation of the sacred.
Artwork: Madonna and Child by Duccio, c. 1290–1300
- Similarity: Shares the gold background, symbolic gestures, and layered religious meaning.
- Difference: Duccio’s figures appear more tender and show early signs of human emotion, especially in the soft interaction between mother and child, suggesting growing naturalism
Artwork: Maestà by Cimabue. c. 1280
- Similarity: Shares the Byzantine-style composition: enthroned Virgin, rigid poses, richly decorated gold background.
- Difference: Cimabue begins to suggest depth and space, with angels arranged more spatially than in Berlinghiero’s flat layout.
Artwork: Ognissanti Madonna by Giotto, c. 1310
- Similarity: Same subject and devotional purpose.
- Difference: Giotto marks a major shift: figures are three-dimensional, clothing shows light and shadow, and the composition is grounded in perspective. Mary and Jesus feel solid and real.
Artwork: Madonna with Angels by Masaccio, 1426, part of Pisa Altarpiece
- Similarity: Still uses gold and sacred subject matter.
- Difference: Masaccio embraces linear perspective, realistic proportions, emotional expression in mother and child, and three-dimensional drapery, clearly Renaissance in feel.
Artwork: The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, 1498
- Similarity: Both works are about Jesus and use symbolism to highlight His identity.
- Difference: Leonardo’s work is full of spatial depth, dramatic lighting, multiple figures, and a real, natural setting, grounded fully in the secular world, unlike Berlinghiero’s sacred, flat space. This can help students see how Christian art evolved over time.
Artwork: Madonna and Child with Saint Anne by Caravaggio
(1606)
- Similarity: Shares the same sacred subject matter, showing Mary and Jesus and using symbolism to point viewers toward faith.
- Difference: Uses dramatic light and shadow (chiaroscuro) and naturalistic figures in a realistic, three-dimensional space. Caravaggio’s emotional, lifelike style reflects the Baroque period, a sharp contrast to Berlinghiero’s flat, symbolic approach.

Related Vocabulary

Icon — A religious image used to help Christians pray and focus on God. Icons are full of symbols and are meant to inspire worship, not to look realistic.
Hodegetria — A specific type of icon showing Mary holding Jesus and pointing to Him as the way to salvation.
Byzantine Art — The style of art from the Eastern Roman Empire (330–1453). It often includes gold backgrounds, flat figures, and symbolic gestures rather than realistic detail.
Gold Ground — A background covered in gold leaf, used in religious art to represent heaven and God’s glory.
Iconoclasm — The period in church history when religious images were banned and many icons were destroyed because some Christians feared people were worshipping the images instead of God.
Panel Painting — A painting made on a flat wooden board instead of a wall or canvas, often used for portable altarpieces in the Middle Ages.
Neo-Platonism — A philosophy that influenced medieval art, teaching that spiritual things are more important than the physical world and that humans can move closer to the divine through reason, contemplation, and spiritual practice.
Altarpiece — A painted or sculpted work placed behind an altar in a church, often showing Mary, Jesus, and saints.
Triptych — A three-paneled artwork, often used as an altarpiece. The two side panels could open and close over the main painting.
Fresco — A painting technique where pigments are applied to wet plaster on walls or ceilings. This style became popular with later artists like Giotto.

Want to Learn More?

See my post on Illuminated Manuscripts to learn how monks used art to preserve God’s Word.
Read my posts on Giotto, one of the first painters to bring more realism into religious art.
Browse my full Historical Artists List and Art Periods & Movements Guide to see where Berlinghiero fits in art history.

I pulled from the following resources:

The Annotated Mona Lisa:
^[1] Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists, 5^th Ed.
^[2] Marvelous to Behold.
^[3] The Met, Madonna and Child
^[4] Brooks, Sarah. “Icons and Iconoclasm in Byzantium.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. (originally published October 2001, last revised August 2009)
^[5] Nancy Pearcey traces this divide, through the arts, from the ancient Greeks to modern day in her book, Saving Leonardo. I highly recommend it!
^[6] Meagher, Jennifer. “Italian Painting of the Later Middle Ages.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. (September 2010)

Check out my Art Resources page for a full bibliography!

Originally published: Published 2025 August 22