Holy Family with an Angel

This is one of the finest devotional paintings by Raffaellino. The nervous line, eccentric classical architecture, and cool palette are directly inspired by the work of Filippino Lippi, under whom Raffaellino trained. This composition may be based on a design by Lippi, and the picture's intimate size suggests it was intended for a domestic interior. The motif of the Virgin offering the Christ Child her breast-the Virgo lactans-was popular in such spaces because it emphasizes the human nature of the two holy figures. The losses in flesh tones on the Virgin's face have revealed the green underpainting below.

Credit: Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913