Madonna and Child with the Young St. John the Baptist

The extra child here is the young John the Baptist, and in Florence he was more than a figure from scripture. John was the city's patron saint, so setting him beside the infant Christ made the picture quietly Florentine, a household protector as much as a holy scene. Devotional paintings like this were in constant demand, and Botticelli's workshop produced them in numbers, several hands often sharing a single panel. Specialists still argue over how much of any given version the master painted himself, usually granting him the tender faces and passing the blue drapery to an assistant. What stays constant is the mood, the downcast eyes and gentle exchange meant for private prayer in a Florentine home.