Description
The little John the Baptist and the Christ Child are represented in ways that encourage the viewer to ponder their futures. Held by his mother Elizabeth, Mary's cousin, John acts out his adult role as Christ's precursor and hands Mary a small branch shaped as a cross. At Mary's feet, the tiny Christ Child is shown deeply asleep in a position that foreshadows his later death.
Giovanni Antonio Bazzi, called Sodoma, was fond of creating focused views of figures that give monumentality and forcefulness to the scene. This type of "tondo," or circular painting, would not have served as an altarpiece but would most likely have hung in a domestic setting.
Results
