‘Madonna with Infant Christ and Young John the Baptist in a Landscape’ was painted by an unknown, probably Dutch artist at the beginning of the 16th century. The painting was created based on Raphael Santi’s “The Beautiful Gardener” by someone from his circle.

“The Beautiful Gardener” or “The Virgin and Child with John the Baptist” belongs to Raphael’s Florentine period (1506–1508), when he created several paintings on similar subjects. They include the ‘Madonna of the Goldfinch’, ‘Madonna of the Meadow’ and ‘Esterhazy Madonna’. The choice of the composition was influenced by ‘Ann Mettercia’, the model used by Leonardo da Vinci in his work ‘The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne’, which was rare for Italy.

‘Madonna and Child with John the Baptist’ is the highlight of the artist’s Florentine period. Raphael did not complete it, although he did sign it and put the date on the hem of Mary’s robe. The painting is believed to have been completed by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio. There is a legend that the Virgin’s blue cloak was painted by him, but there is no evidence to validate the story. “The Beautiful Gardener”, the title under which the original is exhibited in the Louvre in Paris, was given to the painting by art critic Pierre Jean Mariette in 1720.

An unknown artist repeated Raphael’s painting with the exception of a few details. Mary’s head is covered, Jesus’s and John’s hair is darker. There are no slender-trunked trees in the background, the flowers at the characters’ feet are not so clearly visible. With darker shades of the sky, a reddish strip near the horizon, the artist created a growing sense of anxiety for the future of infants Jesus and John.