According to an indication found on the back of the work, the fresco was transferred onto canvas by Domenico Brizi di Assisi, in 1898. is information is of great importance for the purpose of ascertaining the provenance of the work, since in a recent article, Menichetti (1994, p. 3) has transcribed a note by Egidio Calzini, that had been published in the Rassegna Bibliograca dell’Arte Italiana in the same year, 1898, which reports that “approximately 20 square meters of frescoes” by Nelli were removed from a house located at via Riposati 11 (now via Mazzatini), in Gubbio, and sold, divided into ve sections (“riquadri”). On one of these ve sections, there was a Madonna and Child between Magdanele and Saint Stephen Protomartyri, which is probably the Masp’s piece. Furthermore, according to Menichetti, such frescoes, as well as others that remained in the house, had formerly adorned the Oratorio dell’Arte dei Mercanti della Lana. A supplementary indication regarding the provenance of the fresco is the fact that Saint Stephen Protomartyr, represented on the right with the book and palm of martyrdom, was venerated as the patron of this guild at that time.
The fresco has no scenographic intention, but rather shows an archaic composition. is is a triptych-like sacra conversazione, still conceived in markedly 14th-century taste. e elongated gures emphasize the linear characteristics of Gothic ascendance, of which the immediate predecessors are the Sienese and French cultures (Roli 1961). Contrasting with Magdalene’s abundant hair, the drapery soens the spatial eects and lightens the architectonic and monumental character of the throne, suggesting a more intimate and courteous approach to the Madonna and her entourage, almost like a tapestry. As far as dating the fresco is concerned, the nearest stylistic parallels that provide arm chronological reference are the two frescoes of the Annunciation, in Convignano (Rimini), Santa Maria delle Grazie, and in the church of San Francesco, in Gubbio, both dated from the first decade of the 15th century (Roli 1961, p. 120). is dating was previously proposed by Menichetti, who believes the painter was living mainly in Gubbio between 1405 and 1415.
— Unknown authorship, 1998