''La Belle Jardinière'', also known as the ''Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist'', is a

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

started by the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

High Renaissance In art history, the High Renaissance was a short period of the most exceptional artistic production in the Italian states, particularly Rome, capital of the Papal States, and in Florence, during the Italian Renaissance. Most art historians stat ...

artist

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual a ...

, and finished by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio, that depicts the Madonna, a young Christ, and a young John the Baptist. It is believed to have been commissioned by the Sienese

patrician Patrician may refer to: * Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage * Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...

Fabrizio Sergardi in approximately 1507. It is currently displayed in the

Louvre Museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

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History

This painting is considered one of the most famous Madonna portraits of Italian Renaissance painter, Raphael. Many art historians believe that this painting is the peak of Raphael's achievements and one of his strongest pieces from his Florentine phase. Raphael began to paint ''La Belle Jardinière'' after finishing '' Madonna of the Goldfinch.'' This work also mirror his next piece '' Madonna of the Meadow''. Raphael was unable to complete this painting before he left

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

. It was later finished by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio. Ghirlandaio is especially credited for completing the blue robe of Mary. The painting was later taken to Paris by King

Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin on ...

, where it gained in popularity and was copied by many other artists.

Description

The painting portrays

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

and a young

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

. Mary is the focus of the painting. Her face is situated at the apex of the pyramidal composition and her body fills most of the rest. She is holding the Christ child, who is standing at her foot to her right. John the Baptist is on the ground to the left of Mary and is holding his reed cross with his right hand. Mary is holding a book in the hand that is resting on her lap. There are faint halos around all of their heads, a feature that disappears in the High Renaissance. The landscape of the painting is that of a beautiful countryside garden. Raphael used a unified naturalistic composition with rich and luminous colors and blended light and shadows to help create a highly realistic atmosphere.

Analysis

One of this painting's defining features is the Madonna. She is the focus of the painting. 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. On the other side kneels John the Baptist holding one of the two religious symbols seen in the work. Raphael diverged from the previous practice of placing multiple religious symbols in a piece. Instead he combines religious iconography and beautiful landscapes to show both humanism and the teaching of the Catholic Church. 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. The way Raphael composed the painting creates a sense of intimacy between Mary and Christ, with John the Baptist as witness. The positions of Mary and Christ, and to a lesser extent John the Baptist, serve as a prefiguration of the Passion and eventual death of Christ. The book Mary hold tells of these eventual events.

Style

Raphael studied the works of

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

Michelangelo Buonarroti Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...

, and

Fra Bartolommeo Fra Bartolomeo or Bartolommeo (, , ; 28 March 1472 – 31 October 1517), also known as Bartolommeo di Pagholo, Bartolommeo di S. Marco, and his original nickname Baccio della Porta, was an Italian Renaissance painter of religious subjects ...

while in Florence. He traded his use of stiff compositions that were popular during his Umbrian phase in favor of a newer style influenced by his study of these other artist. This painting in particular appears to be derived from Leonardo's models, such as '' The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne.'' The painting echoes the spacious landscapes of

Pietro Perugino Pietro Perugino (, ; – 1523), born Pietro Vannucci, was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael was his most famous pupil. Ea ...

. He also utilized the popular pyramid composition common with art in the High Renaissance as well as the sfumato technique. Another feature seen in ''La Belle Jardinière'' is the highly idealized beauty and grace of the Madonna. Despite taking inspiration from other artist, Raphael was able to move past just recreating others works and add his own styles to benefit his works.

Other Pictures

File:Raphael Madonna of the Meadow.jpg, ''Madonna of the Meadow'' File:Raphael Madonna of the Goldfinch.jpg, ''Madonna of the Goldfinch''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Belle Jardiniere Paintings in the Louvre by Italian artists Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Raphael 1507 paintings Nude art