Title: Virgin and Child

Artist: Agnolo Bronzino

Virgin and Child with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist About 1540–45 Agnolo Bronzino Italian, Monticelli 1503–Florence 1572 Oil on panel The Virgin Mary dominates the composition, wearing garments of richly saturated color. She meets the gaze of the Christ child, their cheeks nearly touching. He holds a reed cross with arm outstretched, and toys with the garland of flowers on his head. Below is Saint John the Baptist, observed watchfully by his own mother, the elderly Saint Elizabeth; he proffers wild strawberries, a portent of the blood Christ will shed at his crucifixion. The figures, with crisp outlines and smooth, luminous skin, give the appearance of carved marble. With its gleaming surface and lavish use of expensive pigments, a painting such as this one would have appealed to the refined taste of patrons at the Medici court in Florence, where Bronzino worked.