Cleveland Museum of Art

The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Margaret

Filippino Lippi

Date

c. 1488–93

Medium

tempera and oil on wood

Culture

Italy

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This monumental tondo, among Filippino’s most significant works, was commissioned by Neapolitan cardinal Oliviero Carafa, a leading political and ecclesiastical figure. The painter’s ingenious composition harmoniously overlaps five brilliantly colored divine figures within the challenging circular format. Behind a low wall adorned with sacred and domestic objects, Joseph observes the intertwined group of Mary holding Christ, who embraces his cousin John the Baptist, supported by Saint Margaret. Created during Filippino’s Roman years (1488–93), the painting reflects the inspiration he drew from ancient art. The preparatory drawing reveals how he reimagined Greco-Roman figures—his sketch of an antique Venus statue was refashioned into Saint Margaret—while the weathered pier references remnants of ancient architectural and decorative motifs, illustrating Filippino’s deep engagement with the fragments of antique murals, sculpture, and architecture throughout the city. Ultramarine, the blue pigment used lavishly across this tondo (circular painting), was many times more expensive than gold in the Renaissance.

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