Artwork

The Holy Family with Tobias and the Angel, Saint Dorothy, Giovannino, and the Miracle of the Corn beyond

The Holy Family with Tobias and the Angel, Saint Dorothy, Giovannino, and the Miracle of the Corn beyond is an oil painting by the Early Renaissance artist Bonifazio Veronese. It dates from 1500 and is held in the collection of the National Museum of Western Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1500, this oil on canvas work by Bonifazio Veronese assembles a varied group of biblical figures within a tranquil landscape.

Created in 1500, this oil on canvas work by Bonifazio Veronese assembles a varied group of biblical figures within a tranquil landscape. The composition includes the Holy Family, the youthful Tobias accompanied by his guardian angel, Saint Dorothy, a child named Giovannino, and a distant episode known as the Miracle of the Corn. Muted greens and earth tones dominate, lending the scene a calm, contemplative atmosphere.

Subject & Meaning

The painting intertwines several narrative strands from Christian tradition. Central to the image is the Virgin, Child, and Saint Joseph, while Tobias and his angel reference the Book of Tobit. Saint Dorothy appears as a martyr, and the small boy with a fish alludes to the same story. In the far background, a cornfield miracle is depicted, suggesting divine providence and the interconnection of sacred events.

Technique & Style

Executed in oil on canvas, the work reflects early Renaissance Venetian sensibilities, emphasizing soft modeling and a harmonious palette of subdued greens and browns. Figures are rendered in contemporary dress, their gestures naturalistic, and the landscape recedes with atmospheric perspective. A modest inclusion of a dog and a distant architectural element adds depth, while the overall handling of light creates a gentle, unified ambience.

History & Provenance

After remaining in private hands for centuries, the canvas entered the collection of the National Museum of Western Art, where it is currently displayed. Its attribution to Bonifazio Veronese, a prominent painter of the Venetian Republic, has been affirmed through stylistic analysis and archival records linking the work to the artist’s early output.

Legacy

Bonifazio Veronese worked during a period when Venetian art was shifting toward richer coloration and narrative complexity. His approach in this piece anticipates later developments seen in the works of Tintoretto and Andrea Schiavone, who drew upon his compositional balance and integration of multiple saintly subjects within a single pictorial space.