(Florence 1444/5–1510)
Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist,
tempera on panel, arched top, 91.5 x 57 cm, framed

In the present painting, the Madonna is depicted kneeling, her face in profile and with a meditative expression, as though reflecting on the fate of her Son. She wears a blue cloak and a star can be seen on her shoulder; this is the so-called stella maris, the Star of the Sea, one of Mary’s honorific names. On the left, the Child lies on a white pillow, bestowing an affectionate gaze on the Madonna, while Saint John the Baptist is shown standing and with the typical attributes of fur clothing and a staff in the form of a cross. Beyond an architectural ruin separates the group in the foreground from the background landscape.

This subject was undertaken by most Florentine artists active in the 15th century, particularly in the variant of the Madonna shown seated in the foreground to welcome her Son, introduced by Fra Filippo Lippi and then replicated, especially by his celebrated pupil Sandro Botticelli and his workshop. The success of this subject derived from the new interest in Christ’s humanity and therefore his Incarnation as the key component of man’s salvation. Hence the popularity of the subject of the Madonna and Child, depicted on small panels intended for private devotion. Smaller and more practical than the altarpieces in places of worship, these panels became a distinctive and essential element in the houses of leading citizens, and were often given as wedding gifts as a symbol of good wishes and a model of maternal love.

In the present work, the two children recall the style of Fra Filippo Lippi, while the linearity and sweetness of the Virgin are similar to that of the numerous works of this type by Botticelli. Particularly in terms of the composition, it is possible to suggest a close analogy with the Madonna adoring the Child recently re-attributed to the Botticelli and now conserved in the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh (inv. no. 27099. These elements enable us to understand the cultural context in which the painter of this panel worked.

Artists such as Jacopo da Sellaio (1441/42-1493) were mentioned by Vasari as one of Fra Filippo Lippi’s students together with Botticelli. Sellaio later had occasion to work with Botticelli directly on the depiction of the Story of Nastagio degli Onesti, conserved in the Prado, Madrid. Sellaio joined the Compagnia di San Luca in 1472 and, in the 1480s, opened a workshop together with the painter Filippo Giuliano, devoting himself to the creation of altarpieces, cassoni and small panels intended for private devotion, in which elements derived from his teacher were combined with the influence of Filippino Lippi, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Sandro Botticelli.

Additional image:
Infrared reflectogram of the present painting