Madonna and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist  1497

Mother and child are shown in a softly lit domestic interior with a view out the window of a mill copied from a painting by Hans Memling, whose portraits were prized among Florentines. By contrast, the lively play of hands, the elaborate configuration of the drapery, and the treatment of light are Fra Bartolomeo’s response to the work of Leonardo da Vinci. Fra Bartolomeo w...