02 Works, RELIGIOUS ART - Interpretation of the Bible! With Footnotes - 27

Francesco Brina,  (1540–1586)

Madonna and child with young St John, 

Oil on panel

54.5 × 43 cm (21.4 × 16.9 in)

Private collection

This painting depicts the "Virgo lactans," the Latin term for the nursing Virgin Mary. The image testifies to the humanity of Christ as it shows that he consumed food like all other humans. The young Saint John the Baptist, Jesus' second cousin, praying. John the Baptist was the patron saint of Florence, and the painting comes from the Florentine artist Francesco Brina's workshop.

The Madonna and Child or The Virgin and Child is often the name of a work of art which shows the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus. The word Madonna means "My Lady" in Italian. Artworks of the Christ Child and his mother Mary are part of the Roman Catholic tradition in many parts of the world including Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, South America and the Philippines. Paintings known as icons are also an important tradition of the Orthodox Church and often show the Mary and the Christ Child. They are found particularly in Eastern Europe, Russia, Egypt, the Middle East and India. More Madonna and Child

John the Baptist (sometimes called John in the Wilderness; also referred to as the Angel of the Desert) was the subject of at least eight paintings by the Italian Baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610).

The story of John the Baptist is told in the Gospels. John was the cousin of Jesus, and his calling was to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. He lived in the wilderness of Judea between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, "his raiment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey." He baptised Jesus in the Jordan.

According to the Bible, King Herod's daughter Salome requested Saint John the Baptist's beheading. She was prompted by her mother, Herodias, who sought revenge, because the prophet had condemned her incestuous marriage to Herod. More John the Baptist

Francesco Brina,  (1540–1586)

Madonna col Bambino e San Giovannino, 16th century

Oil on panel

75 × 65 cm (29.5 × 25.5 in)

Pandolfini, Florence

Francesco Brina or Del Brina or Brini (1540 – 1586) was an Italian painter of the Mannerist period, active mainly in Florence.


S.J. Freedburg ascribes his training to either Ridolfo Ghirlandaio or more likely his son, Michele di Ridolfo. He holds him to have followed the "most conservative adaptation of the Vasarian maniera". He appeared to limit his output to mostly devotional Madonna and Child paintings, and in this endeavor, paraphrasing the compositions and expressions of Andrea del Sarto. His brother Giovanni Brina (died 1599) helped Francesco in his work and copied his style. More on Francesco Brina 

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