Artwork
Heilige Familie
Heilige Familie is an unspecified painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Hans Rottenhammer. It dates from 1598 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1598 by the German artist Johann Rottenhammer, this modestly sized oil painting presents a tranquil domestic scene centered on the infant Jesus. The work is part of the Alte Pinakothek’s collection in Munich and exemplifies the early Baroque sensibility that was then developing in Italy, where Rottenhammer was active.
Subject & Meaning
The composition brings together the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, and the newborn Christ, surrounded by a few attendant angels. The figures are rendered in simple, flowing garments, emphasizing humility and devotion. The gentle interaction—Mary cradling the child, Joseph gazing affectionately—conveys an intimate, familial reverence for the divine infant.
Technique & Style
Rottenhammer employs a subtle chiaroscuro, using light and shadow to model the bodies and give them a three‑dimensional presence. The background features a modest landscape of trees and rolling hills beneath a clouded sky, which recedes gently behind the central group, reinforcing the painting’s calm atmosphere.
History & Provenance
Although Rottenhammer was German, he spent much of his career in Italy, where he absorbed the emerging Baroque aesthetic. After its creation, the painting entered various private collections before being acquired by the Alte Pinakothek, where it remains on display as a representative example of his detailed, small‑scale religious works.
Artist & collection
Artist
Johann Rottenhammer, or Hans Rottenhammer (1564 – 14 August 1625), was a German painter. He specialized in highly finished paintings on a small scale.
