The Holy Family with the Young Saint John the Baptist

Andrea del Sarto (Andrea d'Agnolo) Italian

Not on view

With this grandly solemn composition, Sarto demonstrated that he was, indeed, "the painter without defects," as Giorgio Vasari had deemed him. His figures are masterfully drawn, beautifully colored, and composed with an air of nobility. Giovanni Borgherini commissioned the picture at a time when Florence, having freed itself of Medici dominance, declared itself a republic. The young John the Baptist—patron saint of Florence—passes the orb to Christ, indicating him as sole ruler of the city. But in 1532 the Medici family was reinstated violently and permanently as its rulers.

#5076. The Holy Family with the Young Saint John the Baptist

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The Holy Family with the Young Saint John the Baptist, Andrea del Sarto (Andrea d'Agnolo) (Italian, Florence 1486–1530 Florence), Oil on wood

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