The Virgin and Child with Saints Zacharias and John the Baptist

Jesus, on his mother lap, is blessing St. John, who is accompanied by his father Zacharias. This latter holds a scroll on which, according to the Gospel, he had written his son’s name.
In Lotto’s formative years, besides the influence of the great Venetian masters, was important his collaboration with Raphael in the decorations of the apartments of Pope Julius II in Rome. But Lotto also studied the painting of Leonardo and of German artists, achieving a complex and original style.
In this work painted in 1546 the artist’s interest is focused on the psychology of the figures revealed in the intricate interplay of gestures and glances.