Madonna and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist 1492 - 1502

This painting, *Madonna and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist*, was made in Florence by Fra Bartolomeo, using oil on wood. The luminous quality of the painting comes from the oil paint, a relatively new medium at the time. The smooth blending of colors and the subtle gradations of light and shadow, are due to the way oil paint allows artists to build up layers of pigment, called glazing. Wood would have been carefully prepared with gesso, a white ground, to create a smooth surface for painting. Bartolomeo's skill in manipulating the materials shines through. Consider, too, the social context: paintings like this were often commissioned by wealthy patrons, and the use of expensive materials like oil paint reflected their status and taste. In paintings like this, Fra Bartolomeo elevated the status of craft to that of fine art.