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Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist

The Virgin Mary tenderly embraces her infant son, Jesus, while a young John the Baptist prays devoutly. The Latin inscription on his scroll translates as, "Behold the Lamb of God." John would later speak these words to his followers when introducing Jesus, prophesying Christ's fate as an innocent lamb sacrificed to redeem humankind from its sins. The scene is painted as a tondo, a circular format often used for devotional pictures intended for domestic settings in fifteenth-century Florence.

Credit: Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark before 1955...

c. 1490
Tempera, oil, and gold on panel
34.9in
1955.930
Image and text: The Clark Art Institute, 2024

Where you'll find this

The Clark
Permanent collection