The Virgin and Child with a Saint

The saint in this work has been tentatively identified as St John the Baptist, although it is unusual to depict an adult St John paying homage in this way to a Christ Child.

It has been suggested that the bearded figure was Francesco Gonzaga, the husband of Isabella d'Este, ruler of Mantua and patron of the arts in Renaissance Italy. However, the halo above the figure is original to the painting, not a later addition.