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The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and the Infant Saint John the Baptist
(Renaissance Europe )
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.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Bernard Berenson (?); Henry Walters, Baltimore, prior to 1907 (?), by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| Examination | examined for condition | |
| 8/16/1939 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 6/1/1946 | Treatment | repaired; loss compensation; coated |
| 3/15/1956 | Treatment | repaired; loss compensation |
| 7/28/1959 | Treatment | repaired; other |
| 12/16/1965 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 9/15/1970 | Treatment | cleaned; loss compensation; coated; other |
| 4/6/1984 | Treatment | loss compensation |
| 4/9/1984 | Treatment | other |
| 4/11/1984 | Treatment | coated; loss compensation |
| 10/6/1987 | Treatment | loss compensation; coated; cleaned |
| 3/9/2011 | Examination | examined for condition |
Geographies
Italy, Siena (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Painted surface H: 45 1/2 x W: 44 1/8 x Approx. D: 1 7/16 in. (115.5 x 112 x 3.7 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, before 1907
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.522