XVI century Tuscan School Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist. Maestro di Volterra.

Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist

Florentine School, 16th century

Oil on panel. 
Set in a 19th-century Renaissance-style tabernacle frame. 

Dimensions: 89 x 69 cm with frame; 51 x 40 cm without frame

Set in a 19th-century Renaissance-style tabernacle frame

This painting was recently attributed to the so-called Master of Volterra, a painter active between 1530 and 1570, closely connected to the circle of Domenico Puligo. The attribution was proposed by art historian , specialist in Puligo who also curated an exhibition dedicated to him.

The composition shows clear stylistic affinities with works attributed to this elusive painter, including a Madonna and Child with Saint John held at Villa del Poggio Imperiale in Florence. While the structure and approach reflect the influence of Andrea del Sarto through Puligo, the cool, slightly acidic palette and certain expressive traits suggest the additional influence of more eccentric Tuscan artists such as Giovanni da Larciano and Michele Tosini.

The children’s faces, softly modeled with blurred contours and gentle shadows, convey a subtle Mannerist elegance. This handling of form and light evokes the search for a colorito vaghissimo, where outlines dissolve in shadow to create an atmosphere of grace and suspended stillness.

The painting stands out for its refined technique and painterly sensitivity, firmly rooted in the Florentine Mannerist tradition.

A written expertise is currently in preparation.