The Holy Family with St. John the Baptist and St. Mary Magdalen, 1494-1495. In this intimate holy gathering, the Madonna supports the Christ Childs little foot and meets our gaze with a melancholic expression, as if aware that her son will one day sacrifice himself for humankind. The Christ Child fixatedly looks into the viewers space with his right hand raised in a gesture of blessing. He is adored by his young cousin, John the Baptist, from the lower left. Also at the left is the Madonnas husband and Christs earthly father, Saint Joseph. To the right is one of Christs later followers, Saint Mary Magdalen, holding a gold and silver vessel containing the ointment she is said to have used to anoint Christ¡¦s body after the Crucifixion. The figures are set against a green curtain which functions as a cloth of honor¡Xdenoting Christ and Marys roles as King and Queen of Heaven¡Xas well as a barrier between the figures and the distant landscape.