Artwork
The Holy Family
The Holy Family is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Franz Anton Maulbertsch. It dates from 1755 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Overview
Franz Anton Maulbertsch’s oil painting *The Holy Family* was completed in 1755. Executed during the Rococo era, the work presents a compact group of holy figures illuminated against a subdued backdrop. It is part of the permanent holdings of Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it is displayed among the museum’s Baroque and Rococo religious repertoire.
Subject & Meaning
The composition brings together the infant Christ, the Virgin Mary, Saint Anne, and a representation of God the Father. The central figure, a serene woman in blue, holds the child, while the older woman kneels nearby, suggesting a lineage of motherhood. The luminous presence above, casting light onto the group, underscores divine blessing and intergenerational sanctity.
Technique & Style
Influences from artists such as Giambattista Piazzetta, Giovanni Battista Pittoni, and Sebastiano Ricci are evident in the airy composition and pastel palette.
Maulbertsch employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, allowing the illuminated figures to emerge from a tenebrous setting. The brushwork reflects the fluidity of Venetian Rococo painters, with soft transitions of color and a delicate handling of drapery. Influences from artists such as Giambattista Piazzetta, Giovanni Battista Pittoni, and Sebastiano Ricci are evident in the airy composition and pastel palette.
History & Provenance
Trained under the Baroque master Paul Troger, Maulbertsch absorbed both Austrian and Italian artistic currents before creating this piece. After its completion, the painting entered the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it has remained, serving as a representative example of the artist’s religious output and the broader Rococo devotional visual culture.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Franz Anton Maulbertsch (7 June 1724 – 8 August 1796) was an Austrian painter and engraver, one of the most renowned exponents of Rococo painting in the German and Hungarian regions.
