Who painted Virgin and Child with the Child Baptist and Two Angels?

Virgin and Child with the Child Baptist and Two Angels was painted by Raffaellino del Garbo.

Where can I see Virgin and Child with the Child Baptist and Two Angels?

Virgin and Child with the Child Baptist and Two Angels is held by Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

What movement is Virgin and Child with the Child Baptist and Two Angels?

Virgin and Child with the Child Baptist and Two Angels is associated with Early Renaissance.

Artwork

Virgin and Child with the Child Baptist and Two Angels

Raffaellino del Garbo

Virgin and Child with the Child Baptist and Two Angels is a tempera painting by the Early Renaissance artist Raffaellino del Garbo. It is held in the collection of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

About this work

Overview

Raffaellino del Garbo’s tempera panel, dated 1497, presents a devotional grouping centered on the Virgin and Child. The work is part of the collection at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, where it is displayed among other Renaissance pieces. Its modest dimensions and intimate composition reflect the private devotional function typical of late‑fourteenth‑century Italian painting.

Subject & Meaning

At the heart of the scene the Virgin Mary cradles the infant Jesus, both rendered with gentle gestures that convey tenderness.

At the heart of the scene the Virgin Mary cradles the infant Jesus, both rendered with gentle gestures that convey tenderness. To her right, a youthful John the Baptist stands, foreshadowing his future role as the Christ’s forerunner, while an angel on the left holds an open book, a conventional symbol of divine revelation. The arrangement underscores the theological link between the two children and the heavenly messenger.

Technique & Style

Executed in egg tempera, the painting achieves a luminous surface through layered, semi‑transparent washes that give the figures a soft, warm glow. Del Garbo’s palette balances cool blues and greens of Mary’s robe with the warmer flesh tones of the children, creating a harmonious chromatic scheme. Fine brushwork delineates delicate details—such as the folds of fabric and foliage in the distant landscape—while maintaining the overall smooth finish characteristic of the period.

History & Provenance

Created at the close of the fifteenth century, the panel entered the Kelvingrove collection in the early twentieth century through a private acquisition, though earlier ownership records are scarce. Its survival in tempera, a medium prone to cracking, indicates careful conservation. The work now serves as a representative example of Raffaellino del Garbo’s output and of Florentine devotional art of the late Quattrocento.