(Florence 1482–1525)
Madonna and Child,
oil on panel, tondo, diam. 75 cm, framed

We are grateful to Vilmos Tátrai for suggesting the attribution of the present painting on the basis of a photograph.

The present painting shows the Madonna seated in front of a hilly landscape, holding the Christ Child in her lap. The figures are arranged in a pyramidal manner which is balanced by the trees in the background. The Madonna is shown frontally, with a slightly inclined head and her serene expression conveys a sense of maternal tenderness. The Christ Child appears in profile, focusing on the Mother and gently holding onto her red dress. The figures are rendered in a naturalistic and lifelike manner, with keen attention to the drapery and folds of their garments.

The composition can be compared to a Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist by Franciabigio in the Musée des Beaux Arts, Dijon, especially the figures’ facial features with the Madonna’s elongated, pointed nose, the light circles under her eyes and the shadows between her eyebrows, as well as the Christ Child’s rounded nose. Both paintings are characterised by the artist’s use of subtle tonal variations and soft shadows to create a sense of depth and atmosphere.

According to Vasari, Franciabigio was an ‘excellent painter’ (see G. Vasari, Lives of the painters, sculptors and architects, London 1996, p. 278) who was first apprenticed to Mariotto Albertinelli. Subsequently, around 1506 he established a shared workshop near the Palazzo della Signoria with his colleague Andrea del Sarto. Franciabigio collaborated with del Sarto in embellishing various Florentine buildings, both public and private. These projects included notable frescoes at the Villa Capponi (1510), Cloister of the Annunziata Church (1513), Convent de la Calza (1514), and Cloister of Scalzo (1516) and at the Villa Medici, Poggio a Caiano (1520/21).

Franciabigio’s signature style was characterised by his remarkable ability to capture the effects of light and shadow in his paintings. He utilised a vivid and dynamic colour palette and employed an atmospheric perspective. Such virtuosity earned him immense recognition and made him one of the most sought-after painters in Florence during his career.