The Virgin and Child with Saint John

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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The Virgin Mary gently supports the Christ Child as he plays with her hair. He casts a curious glance at his cousin, Saint John the Baptist, who is recognisable by the fine wooden cross tucked under his arm, a symbol of Christ’s crucifixion. The Virgin’s fair complexion and golden hair were considered ideals of female beauty in fifteenth-century Florence, where appearance and virtue were closely linked; as such, she is also meant to be seen as the height of virtue, and an example to all women. This gentle image of maternal love was well-suited to worship in the home. Images like this were hugely popular, and Perugino and members of his workshop – who worked to his designs and in his style – would have produced numerous similar pictures to meet the demand.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

The Virgin and Child with Saint John

Date

about 1480-1500

Medium

Tempera on poplar

Measurements

H 68.5 x W 44.5 cm

Accession number

NG181

Acquisition method

Bought, 1841

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

View venue