Skip to main content

Andrea and Raffaello del Brescianino, 'The Madonna and Child with Saints', 1506-45

About the work

Overview

The Virgin looks up from her book at us and Christ, sitting on her lap, gestures to himself – his future crucifixion is the subject of her text. The young Saint John the Baptist, wearing his traditional rough camel skin, clasps his hands in prayer.

Saint Paul stands to the left holding his usual attribute of the sword by which he was martyred. Saint Catherine of Siena, dressed in white as a lay member of the Dominican Order, holds a lily as a symbol of her purity. This composition was evidently a popular design as it was repeated – at least two versions are known which include Saint Sebastian instead of Saint Paul, and there are also other variants.

The Brescianino brothers, Andrea and Raffaello, worked together on the Baptism of Christ for Siena Cathedral. The National Gallery’s painting has been attributed to either or both of them, but is closely related to pictures thought to be by Andrea.

Key facts

Details

Full title
The Madonna and Child with the Infant Baptist(?) and Saints Paul and Catherine of Siena
Artist dates
Andrea (active 1506 - 1525), Raffaello (active 1506; died 1545)
Date made
1506-45
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
71.8 × 53.6 cm
Acquisition credit
Sir Claude Phillips Bequest, 1924
Inventory number
NG4028
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

Images