| Artist | |
|---|---|
| Culture | Italian |
| Date | ca. 1490–1495 (figures), ca. 1510–1515 (landscape) |
| Object type | painting |
| Medium, technique | oil on wood |
| Dimensions | 113.3 × 76.5 cm |
| Inventory number | 4238 |
| Collection | Old Master Paintings |
| On view | Museum of Fine Arts, First Floor, European Art 1250-1600, Gallery XX |
In this work, which faithfully follows Leonardesque ideals, Mary protectively holds her hands above the heads of Saint John the Baptist and the Infant Jesus, who emerge from beneath her gown. The figure of the Virgin is recognisable from a drawing by Leonardo, so the painting was presumably executed by an artist who spent a period of time in Leonardo’s workshop, where he would have had access to the master’s drawings. The way in which the three figures are modelled and grouped together is influenced as much by a desire for illusionistic naturalism as it is by the quest for artistic harmony. It has recently been suggested that the barren cliff and bluish mountain peaks in the background were executed by another master.
Pigler, Andor, Katalog der Galerie Alter Meister, 1-2. Museum der Bildenden Künste, Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest. 2, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1967, p. 612.
This record is subject to revision due to ongoing research.
