Visitation

This signed and dated painting is an autograph variant of Albertinelli’ most celebrated work, the Visitation in the Uffizi, Florence, which is dated 1503 but not signed. Just five years after executing the Uffizi prototype, which shows the undeniable influence of Perugino in its use of soft highlights and its inclusion of a classical arcade, the artist returned to the subject using the same cartoon but introduced some fundamental differences to the design: the architectural niche and the landscape have been removed and two additional figures have been introduced. While the central figures may wear robes different in colour and detail from the prototype, they are very much faithful to the original in their harmonious pyramidal design which balances both movement and stasis. Interestingly, the face of Elizabeth in the present work is no longer in shadow as it is in the Uffizi version.

The lateral figures may be the work of Giuliano Bugiardini, who is known to have rented quarters next to Albertinelli in 1503 and began assisting him shortly thereafter.