Fra Bartolommeo - The Madonna and Child. Oil on panel (tondo)

Fra Bartolommeo was an Italian painter of the High Renaissance. Born in Florence in 1472, he became a Dominican friar at the age of 22. He studied under the painter Cosimo Rosselli and later worked with Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. Fra Bartolommeo is known for his religious paintings, often depicting scenes from the life of Christ or the Virgin Mary. His style was characterised by a sense of harmony and balance, with an emphasis on the beauty of the human form. He also incorporated elements of classical art, such as symmetry and idealised proportions. Fra Bartolommeo's most famous works include the altarpiece The Vision of St Bernard and the fresco The Last Judgement in the Florentine church of Santa Maria Nuova. He died in 1517 at the age of 45.