Artwork
Madonna and Child with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist
Madonna and Child with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Jacopino del Conte. It dates from 1535 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Classified as a religious painting, it depicts the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child accompanied by Saint Elizabeth and the young Saint John the Baptist.
Madonna and Child with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist is an oil painting on wood panel dated to 1535. The work employs oil paint applied to a prepared panel support, a medium typical of mid‑sixteenth‑century Florentine panel painting. Classified as a religious painting, it depicts the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child accompanied by Saint Elizabeth and the young Saint John the Baptist.
No detailed information on the artist's handling, surface condition, or specific stylistic traits is provided in the sources.
History & Provenance
The painting Madonna and Child with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist is attributed to Jacopino del Conte and dated to 1535, executed in oil on panel. Its provenance begins with Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi (1878–1955) in Florence and Rome by the late 1920s, passing by inheritance to his son Count Alessandro Augusto Contini Bonacossi and siblings. By at least 1974 the work was held by Stanley Moss and Co. in New York and Riverdale-on-Hudson, and it was sold to the National Gallery of Art on 21 February 1985.
The painting was among those released for export under the 21 May 1968 agreement between the Contini heirs and the Italian government.
Context
Freedberg's 1985 study highlights Jacopino del Conte's Madonna and Child with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist as an early masterpiece, emphasizing its importance within the artist's oeuvre and its subsequent entry into the National Gallery of Art's collection. The painting's provenance, passing from the Contini Bonacossi family to the NGA in 1985, has drawn scholarly attention, situating the work within broader discussions of Florentine Mannerist production and the museum's holdings of sixteenth‑century religious painting.
Overview
This oil painting on panel, titled "Madonna and Child with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist," depicts a serene gathering of sacred figures. The composition centers on the Virgin Mary cradling the infant Jesus, flanked by Saint Elizabeth and a youthful John the Baptist. The artist employs a gentle illumination and a harmonious palette to evoke a sense of quiet intimacy, resembling a tender family tableau rather than a formal religious scene.
Subject & Meaning
The artwork presents a devotional subject with a humanizing touch, portraying the Virgin Mary and Christ Child alongside their relatives, Saint Elizabeth and the young John the Baptist. This familial arrangement fosters an atmosphere of calm and tenderness, inviting contemplation of the sacred figures through an accessible, domestic lens. The interaction among the figures, though subtle, suggests a shared moment of peace and familial connection.
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Artist & collection
- Virgin and Child with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist
Madonna and Child with John the Baptist
Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist
Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist
Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist
Madonna and Child with The Infant Saint John the Baptist
Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist