Artwork
Die Heilige Famillie
Die Heilige Famillie is a paint painting by Girolamo Marchesi. It dates from 1525 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
About this work
Overview
The work presents a quiet domestic tableau of three figures—a woman, an older man, and an infant—set against a calm landscape of trees and distant architecture.
Created circa 1525, *Die Heilige Famillie* is an oil painting attributed to the Italian Renaissance artist Girolamo Marchese. The work presents a quiet domestic tableau of three figures—a woman, an older man, and an infant—set against a calm landscape of trees and distant architecture. The composition invites the viewer into an intimate moment that reflects the devotional themes common to the period.
Subject & Meaning
The three figures represent the Holy Family: the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, and the infant Christ. Mary is shown in a red robe with a dark green cloak and a white headscarf, cradling the naked child, while Joseph, also in red and dark garments, leans forward to gaze at the baby. The tender interaction underscores the humanity and familial affection central to Christian iconography.
Technique & Style
Marchese employs a realistic approach, rendering flesh, fabric, and foliage with careful attention to texture. The palette is restrained, favoring muted earth tones that lend a sense of warmth. Light falls softly across the figures, modeling their forms and enhancing the intimate atmosphere. The landscape background is rendered with a gentle perspective, contributing depth without distracting from the central group.
History & Provenance
Girolamo Marchese, trained in Bologna under Francesco Francia and later in Rome with Raphael, produced this work during his mature period after commissions in Naples, Ferrara and Rimini. *Die Heilige Famillie* entered the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, where it remains on display as part of the museum’s Renaissance holdings.
Artist & collection
Artist
Girolamo Marchesi (c. 1471 – 1550) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period. Born in Cotignola, whence his nickname of Girolamo da Cotignola, he trained early on with Francesco Francia in Bologna, then in Rome…
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The Holy Family
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