The Holy Family with the Young Saint John the Baptist (The Madonna of the Long Thigh)
1518
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1518
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
The Holy Family with the Young Saint John the Baptist (The Madonna of the Long Thigh) is a 1518 ink by Marcantonio Raimondi, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This engraving shows four figures in a rocky, ruined setting. On the left, a bearded man in a loose robe holds a staff and looks upward. Next to him, a woman in a draped dress sits with a baby on her lap. Another child kneels between them, reaching out. The background has crumbling walls and a half-buried arch, with a small bust on the right. The artist used fine lines and shading to create depth in the figures’ drapery and the rough stone. The scene feels quiet but tense, with everyone focused inward. Next, look up engraving to see how artists like this one carved detailed images into metal plates.
