Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist

c. 1490

Medium

tempera and oil on wood

Dimensions

115 × 12.5 cm

Status

In Museum Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-110814

The perfectly round form, called a tondo, became popular during the 1440s, especially in Florence. Made for domestic settings instead of churches, the circular format challenged the artist to create a harmonious, balanced composition within this more difficult shape. The attribution has been a matter of debate. Botticelli often collaborated with students, including Filippino Lippi, who would himself become a significant painter. Few specialists have doubted that Botticelli executed the central passages: the delicate modeling of the faces, the graceful poses, the figures’ profound interiority,…