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The Virgin and Child, in a landscape setting with St Joseph in the background by Master of the Female Half-Lengths

The Virgin and Child, in a landscape setting with St Joseph in the background

Master of the Female Half-Lengths·1525

Historical Context

The Master of the Female Half-Lengths' Virgin and Child in a Landscape with Saint John is among his more elaborate compositions, combining the devotional sacra conversazione format with the pastoral landscape setting he typically reserved for his music-making women. The infant Baptist's recognition of his cousin Christ, here depicted in the characteristic Leonardesque gesture of pointing finger, gives the tender family gathering its theological significance. This master's ability to render the sacred subject with the same intimate warmth he brought to secular female figures creates a distinctive devotional style that bridges the sacred and the domestic.

Technical Analysis

The landscape composition demonstrates skill in rendering atmospheric perspective and natural textures. The treatment of light and space reflects contemporary developments in landscape painting.

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Quick Facts

Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions
69.5 × 42.2 cm
Era
High Renaissance
Style
Northern Renaissance
Genre
Landscape
Location
,
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More by Master of the Female Half-Lengths

A Lady Reading (Saint Mary Magdalene) by Master of the Female Half-Lengths

A Lady Reading (Saint Mary Magdalene)

Master of the Female Half-Lengths·c. 1530

Vierge donnant un fruit à l'Enfant Jésus by Master of the Female Half-Lengths

Vierge donnant un fruit à l'Enfant Jésus

Master of the Female Half-Lengths·1505

Madonna and Child in a Landscape by Master of the Female Half-Lengths

Madonna and Child in a Landscape

Master of the Female Half-Lengths·1510

Mary Magdalene Reading by Master of the Female Half-Lengths

Mary Magdalene Reading

Master of the Female Half-Lengths·1510

More from the High Renaissance Period

Head of Saint John the Baptist on a Charger by Aelbert Bouts

Head of Saint John the Baptist on a Charger

Aelbert Bouts·ca. 1500

Lucrezia di Lippo di Iacopo Guidi by Andrea del Sarto

Lucrezia di Lippo di Iacopo Guidi

Andrea del Sarto·1525–28

Domenico da Gambassi by Andrea del Sarto

Domenico da Gambassi

Andrea del Sarto·1525–28

Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist by Antonio da Correggio

Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist

Antonio da Correggio·c. 1515