Virgin and Child with St. John

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Virgin and Child with St. John

Artist Carlo Maratti (Italian, 1625-1713)

Dateabout 1647

DimensionsPlate: 6 13/16 × 5 1/8 in. (17.3 × 13 cm)

Mediumetching

ClassificationPrints

Credit LineGift of Mrs. W. H. Snyder

Object number

1917.33

Not on View

Label TextSeated in an interior, on the lap of his mother, the Christ Child leans forward to embrace his cousin, St. John the Baptist. St. John carries a staff whose apex appears as a crucifix from which hangs a banner with the Latin word ecce (“behold”) emblazoned. John the Baptist declared Ecce Agnus Dei (“Behold the Lamb of God”) when he saw Jesus the day after baptizing him. The crucifix, superimposed on the landscape visible through the open window, prophesies the eventual fate of Jesus. Carlo Maratti was reputed to be a very serious young artist who arrived in Rome at the age of twelve. He became one of the Baroque period’s leading painters, though his style was generally restrained. He was especially noted for his ability to compose scenes in a simple, classical manner with just a few figures.Exhibition HistoryTMA The Painter Was a Printmaker: June 23 - Sept. 9, 1984. TMA, The Dramatic Image: Baroque Prints of the 17th Century, February 25 - July 31, 2011.