Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist
Agnolo Bronzino·c. 1530
Historical Context
This Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist from the circle of Agnolo Bronzino was painted around 1530, reflecting the refined Mannerist aesthetic of the Florentine court. Bronzino was the court painter of Duke Cosimo I de' Medici and the leading portraitist of Florentine Mannerism. His circle produced numerous devotional paintings that combined the intellectual elegance and cool, polished technique that characterized Medicean court art.
Technical Analysis
The oil on panel demonstrates the characteristic Bronzinesque style with smooth, porcelain-like flesh tones and precise, linear drawing. The cool color palette and the refined, almost abstract treatment of the figures reflect the intellectual approach to religious painting that defined Florentine Mannerism.
Provenance
Sestieri, Rome; sold to Colnaghi, London, 1962 [according to letter of January 29, 1991 from Jeremy Howard of Colnaghi in curatorial file]; purchased from Colnaghi by the Art Institute through the Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Endowment, 1963.
