HOLBEIN, Hans the Younger
(b. 1497, Augsburg, d. 1543, London)

Darmstadt Madonna (detail)

1526 and after 1528
Oil on limewood
Schlossmuseum, Darmstadt

Unlike Anna Meyer, the figures of the boys are not portraits, since they lack any individual features. In his elegant face and hands, the squatting youth bears striking resemblance to the Mary figure, which, in contrast to the Solothurn Madonna, is idealized in the manner of the Raphael model. The naked boy and the Child Jesus also correspond to figure types found in Italian Renaissance paintings, and it is conceivable that Holbein was inspired by compositions by Raphael and Leonardo that he had seen on his trip to France.