03 — ARTWORK
The Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist (La Belle Jardinière)
- MEDIUM
- Oil on wood, 122 x 80 cm
- TYPE
- Religious
PALETTE
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- FILE
- 820 × 1255 px · JPEG
COMMENTARY
UNDERLINED TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE GLOSSARY.
The so-called La Belle Jardinière, now in the Louvre, is one of the several Madonna paintings executed by Raphael during his stay in Florence (1504-1508). It follows the Madonna of the Goldfinch (Uffizi, Florence) chronologically. Its composition is a mirror image of that of the Madonna of the Meadow (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna). The painting was commissioned by Fabrizio Sergardi, a Sienese nobleman, and was left uncompleted by the artist. Nevertheless, it is signed and dated. According to tradition it was finished by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio, although the recent restoration would seem to contradict this attribution. It was subsequently acquired by Francis I of France. The painting is known primarily for the harmonic and proportional balancing of the poses of the figures and for the high formal quality present in every element, particularly in the face of the Virgin, which served as a model of beauty for generations of artists.
This painting is the highpoint of all Raphael's Florentine Madonnas. The bodies occupy the space with great freedom, while the figures interact with deep feeling. The archThe pointed arch is widely regarded as the main identifiable feature of Gothic architecture (distinct from the round arch of the Romanesque period). The three most common Gothic arches are the Equilateral, Lancet and Tudor. formed by the frame completes the composition harmoniously. Raphael put the date of the picture into the hem of the Virgin's mantleAn overcoat, worn open, popular during the second half of the 15th century and the 16th century and often lined with fur along the hem and around the collar. It reached to the knee or foot, depending on the social class of the wearer., as he often did, but it is not clear if the Roman numerals are meant to be read as 1507 or 1508.
CITE THIS RECORD — BIBTEX
@online{wga-rc3fd768e732940,
author = {Krén, Emil and Marx, Daniel},
title = {The Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist (La Belle Jardinière) by RAFFAELLO Sanzio},
organization = {{Web Gallery of Art}},
date = {2026-09-09},
url = {https://beta.wga.hu/artists/raffaello-sanzio-r5e787e781f4a4c/the-virgin-and-child-with-saint-john-the-baptist-la-belle-jardinire-rc3fd768e732940},
urldate = {2026-09-09},
langid = {english}
}ACCESSED 2026-09-09. REPLACE THE AUTHOR FIELD WITH THE COMMENTARY AUTHOR WHERE ONE IS NAMED.
