The Holy Family with the Young Saint John the Baptist

Andrea del Sarto (Andrea d'Agnolo)

ca. 1528 · Oil on wood · European Paintings

Andrea del Sarto was known as a meticulous draftsman. He displays this talent in the carefully choreographed gestures of these four figures, whose hands spiral around the globe that the young Saint John the Baptist passes to the Christ Child. This action is central to the meaning of the painting, which was as much a political statement as a religious one. Giovanni Borgherini commissioned the picture at a time when Florence had freed itself of Medici dominance and declared itself a republic. The young John the Baptist—patron saint of Florence—passes the orb to Christ, indicating him, not the Medici, as sole ruler of the city.

Artist

Andrea del Sarto (Andrea d'Agnolo)

Date

ca. 1528

Medium

Oil on wood

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Maria DeWitt Jesup Fund, 1922