The Virgin and Child with the infant Baptist

Mariotto Albertinelli painted this Virgin and Child with the Infant Baptist around 1509, a composition type beloved of Florentine patrons. The playful interaction between the Christ Child and the young Baptist was a distinctively Florentine iconographic tradition. Albertinelli's warm, harmonious treatment reflects the partnership with Fra Bartolomeo. The oil medium allowed for rich tonal transitions and glazed layers of color that created luminous depth impossible with the older tempera technique.

Oil on panel with warm Florentine coloring and soft atmospheric modeling. The intimate group is rendered with the gentle naturalism and balanced composition that characterized the Fra Bartolomeo workshop.