The Visitation with Sts Nicholas and Anthony
by PIERO DI COSIMO, Wood, 184 x 189
Piero di Cosimo was overshadowed by his fellow artists such as Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, and especially Leonardo, yet his high level of skill ensured his lasting reputation. Piero presents the Visitation with outstanding directness. In the direct centre of the painting, Piero juxtaposes the two pregnant women, one youthful and the other beyond childbearing years. The composition is rigorously arranged so as to underscore the importance of this event.