Holy Family with Saints Elizabeth and John the Baptist

Correggio's Holy Family with Saints Elizabeth and John the Baptist (c. 1509) is an early work demonstrating his engagement with the extended Holy Family format that allowed the most complex arrangement of sacred figures in intimate relationship. The combination of the Madonna and Child with Elizabeth and the young Baptist created the opportunity to depict the two mothers and their divine infants in a scene of domestic warmth that was simultaneously theologically rich — the two miraculous births brought into proximity, the future relationship between Christ and his precursor prefigured in the children's interaction. Early in his career, Correggio was already exploring the emotional possibilities of this format.

The early work shows developing sfumato and warm coloring that anticipate Correggio's mature achievements, with the natural interaction between the figures reflecting his innate gift for emotional authenticity.