About 1521
Rosso Fiorentino (Giovanni Battista di Jacopo)
Italian, Florence 1494-Fontainbleau 1540
Oil on panel
Haunting and visionary, this painting conveys a disquieting emotional urgency. It portrays a complex and enigmatic Christian allegory. Seated on the right is the Virgin ary, dressed in blue, holding a frightened Christ child in her arms, while at the left the young Saint John the Baptist reclines in a troubled sleep.
The identity of the old woman is debated; she may be Saint Anne (mother of the Virgin), saint Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist), or a mythological sybil with foreknowledge of Christ’s destiny. The large scale suggests that the picture was intended as an altarpiece, but for unknown reasons Rosso left it unfinished; it nonehtless counts as one of his masterpieces.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Herbert T. Kalmus