Madonna and Child with Saints  1607

This exquisite picture was painted for Cardinal Benedetto Giustiniani (1554–1621) when he was papal legate to Bologna. It is a paradigm of Ludovico’s mature style: the pose of the Madonna evokes Michelangelo’s sibyls in the Sistine Chapel, while the emphasis on elegance echoes the work of Parmigianino. Ludovico thus pays homage to the great figures of the preceding century...