The Virgin and Child with St. Elizabeth and John the Baptist, called 'The Virgin of the Palm Tree'
Original title: The Virgin and Child with St. Elizabeth and John the Baptist, called 'The Virgin of the Palm Tree'
kurzbeschreibung
Between roughly 1520 and 1525, Marcantonio Raimondi engraved this image of Mary with the Christ Child, Saint Elizabeth and John the Baptist. A tender religious gathering set in open landscape, the print belongs to the High Renaissance in its refined execution.
Description
Mary sits on a bench with the child on her lap and turns toward him. Beside her is Saint Elizabeth, a cross in her hand, her eyes fixed on the child. John the Baptist kneels before Mary, also watching the child. Palms, a house and a hilly landscape close off the distance. The layout reads as symmetrical: figures in the foreground, landscape opening behind them.
Context
Raimondi, an Italian engraver of the Renaissance, is known above all for his reproductive prints after works by Raphael. This sheet dates from the years he worked in Rome in close collaboration with Raphael. The Holy Family with John the Baptist was a favoured subject in early sixteenth-century Italy.
Impact
Calm and harmony define the print, with lines set down finely. Despite the graphic technique the figures feel alive and evoke a devout, intimate mood. The symmetrical arrangement and the landscape behind give the sheet a balanced, serene presence.
Technique
In engraving, the design is cut into a copper plate and then printed onto paper. Raimondi used fine, precise lines to bring out detail and shading. The monochrome result is typical of this printing method, which allows light to fall evenly across the image.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)