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This painting, called the Medici Holy Family, was originally for Ottaviano de' Medici, a central figure in political and cultural life in Florence, both during the Republic and in the period of Cosimo I's duchy.
The scene is built with a diagonal layout of the four figures intent in a silent connection based on gazes and gestures. The melancholy Virgin in the foreground is contrasted with the composure of Elizabeth behind her; similarly, Jesus steps over his mother's lap, while turning towards the young St John, who by contrast, is leaning outwards, indicating the baby to Elizabeth. The surrounding elements are extremely synthetic, limited to a sky dense with clouds, a sparse shrub, a small cross and some abandoned stones on the ground, giving the scene a feel of silent suspension.
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