The Virgin and Child with a Saint

In this small, intimate painting, the holy couple have the natural look of a real mother and child. In this respect the picture is very different from a large, formal altarpiece, and it was no doubt made for private devotion rather than for a church. The saint kissing the Child’s foot is probably St John the Baptist, and may be a portrait of the man who commissioned the painting. The artist’s subtle lighting of the landscape and his sensitivity to the beauty of colour are typical of the Venetian school.