Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist and Angels
Medium
Tempera and gold on wood
Dimensions
33 3/8 x 23 3/4 in. (84.8 x 60.3 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931
Accession Number
32.100.79
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the tender *Madonna and Child with Infant Saint John the Baptist Angels*, a captivating panel painting attributed to the Master called Pseudo-Pier Francesco Fiorentino, enigmatic artist from the late 15th-century Florentine school. This devotional work depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the Christ Child, who playfully reaches toward the young Saint John the Baptist, surrounded by ethereal angels and symbolic doves—emblems of peace and the Holy Spirit. Such intimate groupings were beloved in Renaissance Italy, blending maternal warmth with sacred narrative to inspire prayer and contemplati...