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La Belle Jardinière by Raphael, also known as Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist, is a painting by the Italian High Renaissance artist Raphael.
It was commissioned by the Sienese patrician Fabrizio Sergardi and shows Mary, Christ, and the young John the Baptist.
It is currently in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
This painting is one of the most famous Madonna portraits of Italian Renaissance painter, Raphael.
Raphael studied the works of Leonardo da Vinci while in Florence and applied some of Leonardo’s techniques to his own painting.
Analysis of The Madonna and Child with John the Baptist by Raphael
The Madonna is the focus of the painting.[2] She has a protective arm around Christ as he looks up at her while standing on one of her feet, showing a sense of dependency and childlike trust.[4]
On the other side kneels John the Baptist holding a cross, one of the two religious symbols seen in the work.
The other religious symbol seen is the faint halos that disappeared as artists entered the High Renaissance.
The book that the Madonna is holding is believed to contain the foretelling of Christ’s death.[4]
The way Raphael composed the painting creates a sense of intimacy between Mary and Christ, with John the Baptist as a witness.
References
[2] “La Belle Jardiniere by Raphael”. www.raphael-sanzio.com. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
[4] Raphael, La belle jardinière, retrieved 2019-04-12
LINK The Archangel Michael by Reni
