low viewpoint of the Virgin's abdomen are all indications that the paintings composition had originally possessed different dimensions. The sides of the panel seem to have been planed and the lower edge cut. It remains unknown exactly where Domenico was residing during the time that he was painting this piece. Three possible locations are Siena, Florence or Perugia, for there are no documents that record commissions Domenico had received outside of these three mentioned locations. Scholar Bruce Cole observes that the two largely depicted figures, the Madonna and the child, seem to have the same "awkward but compelling force" that one can spot in Masaccio's paintings. Straying away from the more popular and predominant characteristics in Sienese paintings, Domenico's painting of the Madonna and Child carefully avoids any elegant expressions of beauty; instead, the two individuals are depicted to be unsophisticated and modest. There is a stark emotional contrast in facial expressions between the child and his apprehensive mother. Some possible sources of inspiration for this painting could have been the works of Ambrogio Lorenzetti, for similarities in the tender and fearful body gesture of the mother, along with the protecting and intertwining with the baby is evident. In addition, the Madonna's spread-out right hand in Domenico's painting can be traced present to several of the hands featured in Ambrogio's paintings. Santa Maria della Scala (1439–1444) Between 1439 and 1444, Domenico di Bartolo participated in the decoration of the Pilgrim's hall in the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala, where he followed the artistic styles of artist Lorenzo Vecchietta and consequently produced six frescoes, all of which were signed by Domenico himself. As a result, this five year commission from the hospital became a huge proportion of Domenico's mid-thirties artistic career. Whilst six frescoes can be identified as executed by Domenico, little decorative works of the hospital has managed to survive until today. Much of these frescoes (including ones done by other Sienese artists) are in extremely poor condition, in which the subjects and contents of the frescoes are sometimes impossible to identify. Vecchietta introduced to the art world of Siena a kind of naturalistic style that Domenico soon followed, however Domenico's paintings in the hospital still demonstrated a slightly more Gothic style and approach. His interdisciplinary style, which quotes major Florentine artists, an on-the-rise Sienese painter, and his own Gothic elements, show a deep awareness for a kind of