Madonna col bambino, sant'elisabetta e due angeli

The Madonna and Child appear with Saint Elizabeth and two angels in this devotional painting from around 1508 by Andrea del Sarto, now at the Palazzo dei Musei. Del Sarto, called "the faultless painter" by Robert Browning, worked in Florence during the period when Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael were transforming Italian art. His serene, classically balanced compositions and refined color sense made him the leading painter in Florence after Raphael's departure for Rome.

Del Sarto arranges the figures in a pyramidal composition that reflects the classical balance of High Renaissance design. His sfumato modeling, indebted to Leonardo, creates soft transitions between light and shadow that give the figures a gentle luminosity. The palette of warm reds, blues, and golds is harmoniously balanced, with del Sarto's characteristic silvery undertone.