Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist, Saint Cecilia, and Angels

Piero di Cosimo was known as one of the most unorthodox artists in Renaissance Florence. His paintings enliven traditional themes through imaginative inventions. Here, John the Baptist offers plums to the infant Jesus, who eagerly devours one while another lies half-eaten on the ground. At right, Saint Cecilia, patron of musicians, sings from a book of music, while wingless angels look on in the background. The shadowed effect in the figures surrounding the Virgin and Child indicate that Piero altered his plans for the composition after he had begun painting: He added them on top of the dark background color, which shows through the thin layers of paint on the surface.