Madonna and Child with both Saints John
1484-1485
Step into a lush, botanical paradise where the Virgin Mary sits enthroned in vibrant red and blue, gently holding a reaching baby Jesus. Flanking her are two Johns: on the left, the wild-haired John the Baptist in his signature camel-hair tunic holding a reed cross, and on the right, the scholarly John the Evangelist clutching a book. Botticelli painted this Renaissance masterpiece around 1484, filling the background with an almost obsessive, scientifically accurate garden of lilies, palms, and other symbolic plants that create a heavenly enclosure. It’s a stunning example of how Renaissance artists blended deep religious devotion with a newfound obsession for the natural world.
Location: Gemäldegalerie, Berlin