Artwork
The Holy Family
The Holy Family is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Giovanni Biliverti. It dates from 1644 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Giovanni Biliverti, an Italian painter whose career spanned the late Mannerist and early Baroque eras, completed an oil painting titled *The Holy Family* in 1644. The work portrays a domestic scene of the Virgin Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus, rendered with the dramatic lighting characteristic of early Baroque art. It is part of the collection of Denmark’s Statens Museum for Kunst.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on three figures arranged within a dark, rounded frame. A woman in a grey hood cradles a small animal, while a child in a red garment leans on her shoulder, clutching a staff. A second child with light hair, also dressed in red, looks outward toward the viewer, suggesting an intimate, devotional moment.
Technique & Style
Biliverti employs strong chiaroscuro, contrasting a deep, shadowy background with illuminated flesh tones that give the children a soft glow. The use of oil allows for subtle gradations of light, emphasizing the three-dimensional presence of the figures and enhancing the overall sense of drama.
History & Provenance
The painting was finished the same year Biliverti died, marking it as one of his final works. After its creation, the canvas entered the holdings of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on display as part of the museum’s early Baroque collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Giovanni Biliverti (surname also written as Bilivelt and Bilivert or other variants; 25 August 1585 – 16 July 1644) was an Italian painter of the late-Mannerism and early-Baroque period, active mainly in his adoptive city of Florence, as…
