Devotional Art: Madonna and Child with Young Saint John the Baptist

Madonna and Child with Young Saint John the Baptist (c.1561), by Florentine painter Michele di Jacopo Tosini (1503-1577), distinguishes itself amidst Boston College’s vast collection of religious art. The work is currently housed in the McMullen Museum.

Beginning in the fifteenth-century, shifting trends in domestic architecture and interior design brought about a demand for private devotional images within the home. In decorating the home, devotional images were often placed within bedchambers or adorned altars within private chapels. These images served as aids in intimate religious reflection. Madonna and Child with Young Saint John the Baptist, as a private devotional image, would have undoubtedly tapped into the spiritual sensibilities of its patrons to invoke an emotional response to the painting’s holy figures. It would have inspired the emulation of these holy figures and fostered a deeper connection with the divine.

Michele Tosini, with the support of his workshop assistants, painted this composition in a mature Mannerist style. In the center of the composition, the Virgin Mary, donning an expressive pink and yellow garment, tenderly looks down upon the young Saint John the Baptist. With an elegance afforded by her elongated neck and sensitively rendered facial features, Tosini creates a visual expression of Mary’s virginity and purity. He allows the painting’s viewers to reflect on these defining realities of the Mother of God and the mystery of the Incarnation.

The young John the Baptist, clutching a golden crucifix, is mystified by the presence of the infant Christ. With his arms crossed in deference, John looks up to the right of the composition and is completely absorbed by Christ’s presence. John’s facial expression expresses a sense of wonder and awe. Through his pious devotion, John expresses his understanding and appreciation of the Christ Child’s future role in salvation. John’s steadfast devotion to Christ in this painting is meant to be emulated by the viewer; he is an exemplar of a pious Christian.

The Christ Child, mimicking his mother, wraps his arms around the Virgin as she lovingly holds her Son. Tosini emphasizes the humanity of these figures by representing the emotional bond between mother and son. He also asserts their holiness through their idealized beauty. For instance, Christ is rendered with golden curly locks of hair, rosy red cheeks, and unblemished skin; He is without error. By making the divine realm tangible, Tosini assists the viewer in connecting to these holy figures in their meditation and prayer.

To reflect upon the painting yourself, Michele di Jacopo Tosini’s Madonna and Child with Young Saint John the Baptist can be viewed on the first floor of the McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College, every Sunday from 12:00 to 5:00 P.M. or by request.

Michele di Jacopo Tosini (1503-1577), Madonna and Child with the Young St. John the Baptist, c. 1561, Italian, Oil on Panel Transferred to Canvas, 37 x 29 inches, McMullen Museum of Art, Chestnut Hills, Massachusetts, Gift of Julie Shaw (Quincy Adams Shaw), 1988.320.