Merry Christmas, one and all!
Thank you to the many customers who have patronized LEO Design this Holiday Season—including those who have just discovered us and those who have been supporting us for years.
Shown here, a painting of "The Virgin and The Child" painted by the Medieval Venetian master, Paolo Veneziano (who lived approximately 1324-1358). During his life, he was the premier painter of the Venetian Republic and, with his sons, painted the "Weekday Altarpiece" in Venice's Basilica of San Marco. He is considered the founder of the Venetian School of Painting and, though he is influenced by the earlier Byzantine style, he points the way toward the Gothic style, yet to be fully developed.
This painting hangs in the art museum in Avignon, France (where I shot this photo in June). Avignon was the temporary seat of seven Medieval Roman Catholic popes (from 1309 to 1376) while political turmoil made Rome an unsuitable location for the Vatican. The Venetian painter lived (and painted this work) contemporaneously to the Avignon Papacy.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
We also can be found in Pittsburgh's historic "Strip District" at Mahla & Co. Antiques (www.mahlaantiques.com) or in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania at The Antique Center of Strabane (www.antiquecenterofstrabane.com).
Or call to arrange to visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only). 917-446-4248