Virgin Mary with Child, Saint Elizabeth, Saint John and angels

da Andrea del Sarto XVI sec. d.C./ primo quarto

In the centre of the painting, set in a landscape that is only outlined, the Madonna is seated as she embraces the Child Jesus. Saint John turns his gaze towards her, who is presented to her by her elderly cousin Saint Elisabeth. Behind Mary are two angels, one of whom has just stopped playing the flute he holds in his hands. The painting is an early copy of Andrea del Sarto's prototype kept at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich and can be dated back to 1514.

Technical information

Author: da Andrea del Sarto
Title: Virgin Mary with Child, Saint Elizabeth, Saint John and angels
Date: XVI sec. d.C./ primo quarto
Material and technique: Tempera on panel
Size: 155x108 cm
Location: Palazzo Pretorio Museum
First Floor

Replicated countless times, the subject underlines the fortune of the composition, which Andrea del Sarto himself replicated in the 1515-1516 variant he sent to King Francis I of France, currently in the Louvre. Exquisitely crafted, the painting exhibited here faithfully replicates the Florentine master's model in its composition, although the colours have more amber tones and contrasts. The artwork originates from the Hospital Spedale della Misericordia and Dolce, where in an inventory of 1815 it is recorded in the “first dressing room”, although in the document Saint Elisabeth is confused with Saint Anne. This interpretation in the past has generated some misunderstandings regarding the identification of the character.