''Visitation'' is a 1503 painting of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary to Elizabeth by

Mariotto Albertinelli Mariotto di Bindo di Biagio Albertinelli (13 October 1474 – 5 November 1515) was an Italian Renaissance painter active in Florence. He was a close friend and collaborator of Fra Bartolomeo.Ludovico Borgo and Margot Borgo.Albertinelli, Mario ...

. The date is shown on both columns in the work. It is now in the

Uffizi The Uffizi Gallery (; it, Galleria degli Uffizi, italic=no, ) is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums ...

in Florence. According to

Vasari Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work '' The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculp ...

, the work is from the Sant'Elisabetta della congrega dei Preti chapel in Florence's church of San Michele alle Trombe (a church rededicated to Elizabeth in 1517). Albertinelli collaborated with

Fra Bartolomeo Fra Bartolomeo or Bartolommeo (, , ; 28 March 1472 – 31 October 1517), also known as Bartolommeo di Pagholo, Bartolommeo di S. Marco, and his original nickname Baccio della Porta, was an Italian Renaissance painter of religious subjects. ...

until 1503, when the latter took his vows as a Dominican. However, drawings now in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

show that the two artists created the painting's composition together at some stage before this date. The painting itself was produced largely without studio assistance by Albertinelli, whose signature was found on the work during restoration work in 1995. The background landscape draws on the work of

Perugino Pietro Perugino (, ; – 1523), born Pietro Vannucci, was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael was his most famous pupil. Ea ...

, whilst the detailed plants at the women's feet are influenced by similar ones by

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

. The almost metallic palette anticipates that of the Doni Tondo by Michelangelo.

Predella

The main painting originally had a

predella In art a predella (plural predelle) is the lowest part of an altarpiece, sometimes forming a platform or step, and the painting or sculpture along it, at the bottom of an altarpiece, sometimes with a single much larger main scene above, but oft ...

, consisting of scenes of the Annunciation, the Adoration of the Christ Child and the

Circumcision of Jesus The circumcision of Jesus is an event from the life of Jesus, according to the Gospel of Luke chapter 2, which states: And when eight days were fulfilled to circumcise the child, his name was called Jesus, the name called by the angel before ...

References

Albertinelli Mariotto di Bindo di Biagio Albertinelli (13 October 1474 – 5 November 1515) was an Italian Renaissance painter active in Florence. He was a close friend and collaborator of Fra Bartolomeo.Ludovico Borgo and Margot Borgo.Albertinelli, Mariott ...

Paintings in the collection of the Uffizi 1503 paintings {{16C-painting-stub