The Virgin seated with the Christ Child, Guido Reni, 1600-1613, etching, This etching, drawn and printed by the famous Bolognese artist Guido Reni (1575-1642), epitomises the early Baroque, with its compositional clarity and strongly religious message. It is characterised by Reni's delicate yet spirited use of lines and dots which was widely influential. Emphasis is overwhelmingly on the holy mother and child, with the fervour of the Christ Child's encircling embrace of his mother, and the gentle, melancholic and anticipating expression of Mary. Joseph by contrast is a tiny, busy figure, involved in his carpenter's trade, and plunged in darkness outside the building.