Focus on Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist and a Female Saint and discuss the Description and style.
The Virgin Mary sits with the Baby Jesus in her lap, flanked by Saint John the Baptist on her left and another saint at right, possibly Mary Magdalene or Catherine of Alexandria. Saint John is identifiably by his beard and the cross-bearing staff. The background displays castles, a gated city (possibly Ancona), and a countryside punctuated by houses and a shepherd with his flock. The distant mountains are painted with blue to capture a misty quality, after the Venetian rules of aerial perspective.
This panel painting is often associated with the sacra conversazione genre. The people in the foreground are separated from the background in a typical 14th century manner (as Bellini uses in his Madonna del Prato), but given atmospheric qualities thanks to the use of warm lighting. The landscape and the figures are unified through their shared use of delicate, clear tones of color.
Mary Magdalene Ancona John the Baptist Saint John the Baptist sacra conversazione aerial perspective Madonna del Prato Catherine of Alexandria