Mary with the Child, John the Baptist and a Holy Boy (Madonna Terrranuova)

This circular painting, known as a tondo, features the Madonna and Child centrally positioned against a vast landscape of rolling hills and distant architecture. On the left, the infant Saint John the Baptist holds a thin reed cross and grasps a scroll, while a third young boy—possibly an infant Saint James or a cousin—emerges from the right side of the frame. The figures are arranged in a balanced, harmonious composition with soft lighting that defines their forms against the horizon.

Painted during Raphael's Florentine period, this work reflects the High Renaissance synthesis of Christian devotion and Neoplatonic ideals regarding geometric perfection and the harmony of the human form. The inclusion of the 'Agnus Dei' scroll emphasizes the prophetic role of John the Baptist as the precursor to Christ, a theme central to the religious and philosophical discourse in the circle of Marsilio Ficino.