Virgin Mary with Child and Saint John

Scuola fiorentina 1550-1560

Audio description of the artwork

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The painting revives models taken from Andrea del Sarto, such as the Madonna con Bambino e San Giovannino (The Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John) in Ascott and the Sacra Famiglia (Holy Family) in the Louvre, which are widespread with numerous copies in the Palatine Gallery and the Uffizi in Florence. The three characters are portrayed in an atmosphere of calm recollection, in which their gazes do not meet, immersed in a melancholic and premonitory atmosphere, according to Andrea del Sarto's expressive modules of great emotional sensitivity and human feelings. The landscape itself, which is symbolic and detailed, leads us into a suspended and restless dimension. In the distance, the image of the figures at the well with the ruins in the background takes inspiration from the so-called Madonna del pozzo (Virgin Mary of the well) by Francesco di Cristofano known as Il Franciabigio, preserved in the Uffizi Gallery.

Technical information

Author: Scuola fiorentina
Title: Virgin Mary with Child and Saint John
Date: 1550-1560
Material and technique: Oil on canvas
Size: 114x87 cm
Location: Palazzo Pretorio Museum
First Floor

Similar artworks to those held here, depicting the Madonna col Bambino e San Giovannino (Virgin Mary with Child and Saint John), have been attributed to Franciabigio, influenced by Raphael and a collaborator of Andrea del Sarto, and to Francesco Ubertini known as Bachiacca, an artist who more than others was able to understand and rework the ideas of his friend Andrea Del Sarto with an original style, also blending Nordic elements and late 15th century references. These paintings present the same composition, in which the details of the cross made of reeds and the small bowl turned upside down on the ground are in the foreground, attributes of Saint John, momentarily abandoned here to approach the Child Jesus and point to him, smiling and seeking complicity in the observer. The colours in the Prato painting, on the other hand, are not bright and contrasted and show a particular sensitivity for tonal and chiaroscuro transitions.