Painted in the early 1500s, this picture offers new insights into the development of the young Correggio, and the extent to which he was prepared to experiment with form, design and emotion in his work. The composition is partly based on Leonardo’s versions of the subject showing Christ wriggling out of his mother’s arms, but the gesture of Christ blessing John with a caressing hand to the head is Correggio’s own invention. The soft, wispy effects of hair and foliage present a gentle alternative to the crystalline forms of Francia in his version of the subject seen nearby.

Frame: Central Northern Italian, first half of the 16th century, Mannerist tabernacle style, purchased in 2013 with funds donated by Andrew Sisson