Holy Family with St. John the Baptist

The panel shows the Virgin Mary in half length, holding the Christ Child against a dark background that draws attention to the figures. The Child holds a small book and raises an arm whose muscularity is clearly modelled on Michelangelo, a common reference point for Tuscan Mannerism. In the background, the elderly Saint Joseph and Saint John the Baptist are seen from behind, a device that allows varied poses while keeping the group close together. Beccafumi works here with soft shadows, subtle light effects, distinct faces and deliberately simplified forms. The round format, or tondo, is one of the work's most striking visual features. Its dating is not unanimous: some scholars place it around 1514-1515, others around 1518-1520, based on comparisons with his frescoes. The painting first appears in a Medici inventory of 1624 attributed to Beccafumi, and its authorship is no longer disputed.

Painter

Domenico Beccafumi

Date

1514

Medium

oil paint, panel

Dimensions

84 × 84 cm

Museum

Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Genre

religious art

Depicts

boy, Mary, John the Baptist, woman, Holy Family, Christ Child

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