Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Holy Family
(Renaissance Europe )
The Christ Child, about the age of a toddler, holds onto his mother’s dress and offers her a bushel of pears, a symbol of his enduring love for humanity. At the left is Saint Joseph, Mary's husband and Christ's earthly father, with his hands joined in prayer. The figures are placed behind a parapet and before a curtain which has been drawn aside to reveal an extensive cityscape beyond.
The stiff poses of the figures, crinkled draperies and fine contours are hallmarks of the style practiced by Francesco and Bernardino Zaganelli, two brothers who jointly ran the most prolific painting workshop in the north Italian city of Ravenna at the turn of the 15th century. This painting is likely by one of their many pupils—among whom was Girolamo Marchesi (see Walters 37.423)—and typifies the type of object that they serially produced for the homes of Ravenna’s middle- and upper-class citizens. For other paintings by the workshop, see 37.581 and 37.739.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Convent of the Magdalen, Pesaro [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [according to 1881 Massarenti catalogue]; Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [1881 catalogue: no. 135; 1897 catalogue: no. 189, as Girolamo Marchesi]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 7/23/1970 | Examination | examined for condition |
Geographies
Italy, Emilia-Romagna, Ravenna (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Painted surface H: 22 1/2 x W: 18 x D excluding cradle: 1/4 in. (57.2 x 45.7 x 0.7 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters with the Massarenti Collection, 1902
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.1071