The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Virgin and Child with the Infant Saint John

1500–1520

Cristofano Robetta

(Italian, 1462–1534)
Italy, 16th century
engraving
Platemark: 25.1 x 18 cm (9 7/8 x 7 1/16 in.); Sheet: 25.1 x 19.1 cm (9 7/8 x 7 1/2 in.)
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1924.514
Catalogue raisonné: Hind I.203.19 ; Bartsch XIII.400.13
Location: 010 Focus Gallery

Did You Know?

Trained as a goldsmith, Robetta’s engraving style consists of extremely fine lines combined with crosshatching and dots.

Description

Active in the early 1500s, the Florentine engraver Cristofano Robetta relied on paintings, frescoes, and works on paper by both Italian and northern European artists, borrowing motifs, figures, and settings with varying degrees of faithfulness. Paintings and drawings by the Florentine artist, Filippino Lippi, were a primary source of inspiration. In this engraving, the central figures of the Virgin, Child, and Saint John derive from Filippino’s Holy Family tondo, though the printmaker replaced the Saints Margaret and Joseph with angels.
  • ?–1924
    Mr. FitzRoy Carrington [1869-1954], New York, NY, sold to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    May 7, 1924–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Noelle, Alexander J., and Cleveland Museum of Art. Filippino Lippi and Rome. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2025. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 132-133, no. 19
  • Filippino Lippi and Rome. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 26, 2025-February 22, 2026).
    Italian Prints and Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 30-March 26, 1968).
    40th Anniversary Exhibition of the Print Club of Cleveland. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (December 3, 1959-January 20, 1960).
    Seasonal Prints from the Museum Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 9, 1937-February 27, 1938).
    Italian and German Prints of the 15th Century. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 29, 1933-January 3, 1934).
    Miscellaneous Prints and Drawings from the Museum Collections. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (June 23-October 23, 1924).
  • {{cite web|title=Virgin and Child with the Infant Saint John|url=false|author=Cristofano Robetta|year=1500–1520|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1924.514