Cleveland Museum of Art

Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist

Sandro Botticelli

Date

c. 1490

Medium

tempera and oil on wood

Culture

Italy, 15th century

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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. However, someone else in Botticelli’s studio probably painted Mary’s blue garment, also the most heavily restored part of the painting. Saint John the Baptist, depicted here as a youth, and the Virgin were both patron saints of Florence.

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