「謙卑的聖母瑪利亞」（The Madonna of Humility）為十四、十五世紀盛行於義大利西恩那的圖像，其創始者應為西恩那畫家馬汀尼（Simone Martini, ca.1284-1344）。在圖像表現上，聖母瑪利亞通常是坐在地上或地上的坐枕上，正為懷中的耶穌嬰孩哺乳。

保羅‧迪‧喬凡尼‧費（Paolo di Giovanni FEI, 1369-1411活躍於西恩那）的這幅【謙卑的聖母瑪利亞】便承襲自馬汀尼以來的圖像表現。另一個屬於西恩那畫派的特色便是衣褶的刻畫，尤其是瑪利亞衣襬所呈現柔順的圓弧褶線與仿金邊針織的衣飾，具強烈的裝飾性風格。從人物的表現而言，畫家對人物的描繪已趨生動，如:藉由肢體動作強調母子間的情感表現，但在人物比例的掌握上仍缺乏準確性。此外，畫中兩位人物的目光朝向觀者，以建立畫中人物和觀者在情感上的互動與共鳴，為虔誠畫（devotional painting）的重要特徵。(蔡敏玲)

The Madonna of Humility is an iconographic motif widely popular in Siena during the 14th and 15th century. The artist Simone Martini (1284–1344) depicted the Virgin sitting on the ground or on a cushion placed on the ground, and often holding the suckling Infant Jesus.

Mary is sitting on the ground with the Infant Jesus in her arms. The torsos of the two subjects take up almost all the space in the scene. Mary’s blue outer robe forms a clear outline and serves to convey the coherence of the elements. Mary’s posture of sitting with her left leg higher than her right, as well as the iconography of the infant suckling at her breast (Maria lactans) are all imitations of Martini’s “The Madonna of Humility” in form and structure. The artist’s depictions of the folds in the robes, especially the gentle arcs presented by the hem and the imitation of the gold weave borders, show a strong sense of decorative style and the presentation style of the Siena region. It can be deduced that the creator of this artwork was most likely a follower of the Siena school.

The depiction of the subjects by the artist is quite vivid and detailed, such as in the presentation of the hair, but there are still inaccuracies in terms of the proportions. The emphasis on the emotions between the mother and child is depicted through their gestures. And the two figures are arranged to look towards the audience, which establish an emotional connection. Both emphases of emotion are important characteristics of devotional painting. (Min Ling TSAI)