Italy / c. 1490
Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist as painting (Italy · c. 1490).
Saint John the Baptist, depicted here as a youth, and the Virgin were both patron saints of Florence.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as tempera and oil on wood and credits Sandro Botticelli (Italian, 1444/45–1510).
The museum's collection notes: The perfectly round form, called a tondo, became popular during the 1440s, especially in Florence. Made for domestic settings instead of churches, the circular format challenged the artist to create a harmonious, balanced composition within this more difficult shape. The attribution has been a matter of debate. Botticelli often collaborated with students, including Filippino Lippi, who would himself become a significant painter. Few specialists have doubted that Botticelli executed the central passages: the delicate modeling of the faces, the graceful poses, the figures’ profound interiority, and the diaphanous veil are the artist’s hallmarks
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtVirgin and Child with the Young Saint John the BaptistOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.