The Virgin, Saint John Evangelist and Saint Nicholas (or Augustine) adore the Child – Alte Pinakothek – Munich
In a rural landscape, the Madonna, Saint John the Evangelist and a holy bishop (identifiable with Saint Nicholas or Saint Augustine) are portrayed in adoration of the Child, who is lying on the ground over a blanket and is looking back at them.
In the center, the Virgin joins her hands to her chest as a sign of prayer: she looks at her son, laying at her feet, with a sweet expression of devotion and maternal love on her face. To her right, Saint John the Evangelist crosses his arms to his chest and is slightly turned towards Jesus, as the other Saint dressed as a bishop: he wears a miter on his head while holding the curved episcopal stick with his left arm; it could therefore be Saint Nicholas, or Saint Augustine.
The figures, whose bodies are constructed from the drapery with a wet effect of the garments adhering to their bodies, are static and monumental, and the composition creates a serene and intimate atmosphere.
The table, dating to about 1500, was acquired by the Alte Pinakothek it in 1815 from a private collection in Paris. The panel is preserved at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
