#388 • Madonna with Child, Little Saint John and Saint Elizabeth

In this oval, the traditional pyramidal scheme of the composition is abandoned in favor of a circular arrangement that encloses the group in an intimate embrace, a symbol of union against adversity.

 

The finger of the little St. John's hand points to the words written on the page of the book held by the Virgin: in it we read the biblical verse in which the people of Israel recall the past of the covenant and mourn for the present, appealing to God for an intervention of help.