Mary kneels in adoration of the infant Christ. To her right, John the Baptist stands, holding his crook and a ribbon. John the Baptist is included as the forerunner of Christ linking the Old and New Testaments and as a patron Saint of Florence. The picture's round shape - 'tondo' - is probably derived from the shape of "birth trays", painted plates traditionally presented to a mother after childbirth. These were frequently decorated with pictures of the Virgin. Botticelli was one of the most sought after painters in late fifteenth-century Florence. Several versions of this composition exist, including one in the National Gallery, London. Although it is of very high quality, this work was probably painted by an assistant.
