Die Heilige Familie mit dem Johannesknaben,

Beccafumi elegantly fitted his composition into the round of the tondo – an especially popular format around 1500 for works showing the Virgin Mary. The idiosyncratic idealisation and expressiveness of the figures are also characteristic of this leading proponent of Mannerism in Siena, as are the pronounced sfumato and luminous colouration. This depiction that addresses a broad range of emotions focuses on the Christ Child with the lamb. Through the prophetic proclamation of Christas the Messiah and the 'Lamb of God' by John the Baptist, the lamb became the symbol of sacrificial death.