The Madonna with the Long Neck, 1535-1540

When one looks at the painting, the first thing one notices is the extra elongated face and neck of the Virgin Mary in the painting, representing the manneristic art. With one hand placed on her heart as a gesture of love while setting her gaze on the toddler in her lap, i.e., the baby Jesus. The baby, though, is naked, in a position that can be associated with that of Christ on the cross. While on the left children in the form of angels populate the picture, no one of them is actually looking at either the Christ or the Virgin. They seem to be lost somewhere else, except for one at the corner most point on the left. While on the right, st Jerome is painted holding a scroll representing the translation of the Bible, which is seen as small in stature, as if representing the earthliness of the saint as compared to the ethereal dimension of the others in the painting.