by Caravaggio, 1606
Caravaggio rendered this Madonna of the Palafrenieri in 1606 for an altar in St. Peter's Basilica. The papal grooms (palafrenieri) commissioned it for their chapel, but the painting was removed within weeks. Its frank naturalism offended Vatican sensibilities.
The Virgin Mary and young Christ press their feet on a serpent (symbolizing sin or heresy), assisted by St. Anne. Mary's low neckline, Christ's nakedness, and Anne's elderly appearance disturbed viewers accustomed to idealized sacred figures. Cardinal Scipione Borghese quickly purchased the rejected altarpiece. Caravaggio painted real people: a Roman prostitute reportedly modeled for Mary. It hangs in the Borghese Gallery.
Other masterpieces from the Baroque movement

Frans Hals, 1624
Wallace Collection, London
Johannes Vermeer, 1666
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Johannes Vermeer, 1665
Mauritshuis, The Hague

El Greco, 1614
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Johannes Vermeer, 1670
Louvre, Paris, Paris

Johannes Vermeer, 1664
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Johannes Vermeer, 1663
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Diego Velázquez, 1650
National Gallery, London
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