Artwork
The Holy Family
The Holy Family is an unspecified painting by the Rococo painting artist Gaetano Gandolfi. It dates from 1776 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Look up other works from Italy, 18th century to see how artists softened sacred scenes.
You see Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus in a quiet room. Joseph holds a book open for the child, while Mary watches with gentle hands. A flowering rod leans against his knee—a sign from heaven.
Gandolfi painted this for a church festival in Bologna. The figures feel real, not stiff like older religious art. Their faces show quiet love, not grand drama.
Look up other works from Italy, 18th century to see how artists softened sacred scenes.
Overview
The Holy Family is a painting by Gandolfi, created in his later years and exhibited at the church of San Procolo in Bologna in 1776. It depicts a serene domestic scene of the Holy Family, characterized by emotional intimacy and naturalistic representation.
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows St. Joseph holding scriptures for the Christ child, seated on Mary's lap, while also grasping the flowering rod symbolizing his divine selection as Mary's husband. The composition conveys a sense of impending sorrow through Mary's melancholic gaze, alluding to Christ's future suffering.
Technique & Style
Gandolfi's down-to-earth naturalism, typical of the Bolognese school, distinguishes the work. The balanced composition and expressive, non-stiff figures reflect the artist's ability to soften sacred scenes, a hallmark of 18th-century Italian art's shift towards more intimate religious depictions.
History & Provenance
Originally shown at a religious festival in Bologna (1776), the painting was likely created for private devotion. Its modern 'Gandolfini' frame, a style associated with the Gandolfi family's works, hints at its provenance.
Context
As the most popular artist of a prominent Bolognese family, Gandolfi catered to Italian and English patrons with his versatile output in religious, mythological, and genre subjects, contributing to the era's artistic trends.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Gaetano Gandolfi (31 August 1734 – 20 June 1802) was an Italian painter, draughtsman and sculptor of the late Baroque period, mainly active in and around Bologna.
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