Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist

Three examples of this composition are known: an original version and two copies, including this one. All are unfinished. This version and the other copy follow a cartoon, or pattern drawing, based on the original work, and may be from a later date. It is unclear why these replicas were begun and then abandoned, but it was fairly common for Florentine workshops to repeat popular compositions. The paintings’ authorship is much debated, due to the close artistic relationships between Agnolo Bronzino and his Florentine associates like Jacopo Pontormo, whose work can also be seen in this gallery.