Artwork
Virgin and Child with SS. John the Baptist, Andrew Bartholomew and Zenobius
Virgin and Child with SS. John the Baptist, Andrew Bartholomew and Zenobius is an unspecified painting by Cosimo Rosselli. It dates from 1483 and is held in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1483, this panel work by Florentine painter Cosimo Rosselli presents the Virgin Mary seated with the infant Christ, flanked by four saints—John the Baptist, Andrew, Bartholomew and Zenobius. The composition is held by the Fitzwilliam Museum, reflecting Rosselli’s output during the Quattrocento period.
Subject & Meaning
The central figures of Mary and the Child embody the traditional devotional focus on the Incarnation, while the surrounding saints, each identifiable by their distinct attributes, reinforce themes of martyrdom and intercession common to late‑fourteenth‑century Italian piety.
Technique & Style
Rosselli employs a clear, linear arrangement of figures against an architectural backdrop of arches and columns. The palette relies on contrasting blues and reds, while chiaroscuro modelling gives the forms a modest sense of volume, characteristic of his balanced, narrative style.
History & Provenance
After its completion, the painting entered private collections before being acquired by the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. It stands among Rosselli’s works that include fresco cycles in the Sistine Chapel, illustrating his continued patronage despite being eclipsed by contemporaries such as Botticelli and Ghirlandaio.
Artist & collection
Artist
Cosimo Rosselli (Italian: ; 1439–1507) was an Italian painter of the Quattrocento, active mainly in his birthplace of Florence, but also in Pisa earlier in his career and in 1481–82 in the Sistine Chapel in Rome, where…
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