Virgin and Child with the Infant St John the Baptist

Giuliano Bugiardini painted calm, clearly drawn Madonnas, saints and portraits in the High Renaissance style of Florence, with simple compositions, soft light and clean colour. Critics have often found him plain beside his famous friends, but his directness and gentle colour have their admirers. Born in Florence in 1475, he learned his trade in Domenico Ghirlandaio’s workshop alongside the young Michelangelo, who remained a lifelong friend. From 1503 to 1509 he ran a studio in partnership with Mariotto Albertinelli. In 1508 Michelangelo called him to Rome to help on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, though he was soon sent home. He painted Michelangelo’s portrait, now in the Casa Buonarroti, and worked in Bologna in the 1520s before returning to Florence, where he died. His Virgin and Child with Saints in the Metropolitan Museum was once credited to Fra Bartolomeo. The Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist is typical of the devotional pictures he painted throughout his career.