Italian School, 17th century, Madonna with Child and the Infant Saint John

Italian School, 17th century

Madonna with Child and Saint John

Oil on canvas, 86 x 99 cm

With frame, 113 x 93 cm

The seventeenth-century painting shows the Virgin presenting the Divine Son to the young Saint John, presented with his cardinal attributes, the cane stick with a cruciform top and the hat skin resting on his shoulders, exemplifying his future hermitage in the desert. Of particular emotional intensity in the Baroque painting is the intimate relationship between the mother and the child, who exchange a loving gaze. The Madonna supports him gently by holding his little hand, in a gesture that gives the composition a profound humanity and a sense of realism and truth that denotes the entire line of development of seventeenth-century Italian painting. Saint John offers Baby Jesus a tray with pears and Christ is preparing to grab one by the stem. In the context of Christianity, the pear, although not one of the most widespread or explicitly mentioned symbols in the Scriptures like, for example, grapes or apples, has taken on several positive meanings in art and sacred iconography, especially since the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Usually, it symbolizes Divine Goodness and God's profound Love for his faithful: The intrinsic sweetness of the pear fruit has made it a symbol of the Creator's goodness and the Lord's love for humanity. The symbolism of the pear often recurs in representations of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus. In this context, it symbolizes the love and deep affection between Mother and Son, and more generally God's love for humanity through the figure of Christ. Linked to the concept of divine love, the pear can also represent Redemption, the salvation offered by Christ to humanity. It is interesting to note how the symbolism of the pear is almost exclusively positive in sacred art, distinguishing itself from other fruits that can have more ambivalent connotations (such as the apple). Her presence in paintings, particularly Marian ones, is a subtle reminder of concepts of love, grace and salvation.