Who painted The Holy family with St. Ambrosius and a donor?

The Holy family with St. Ambrosius and a donor was painted by Paris Bordone in 1520.

Where can I see The Holy family with St. Ambrosius and a donor?

The Holy family with St. Ambrosius and a donor is held by Pinacoteca di Brera.

What movement is The Holy family with St. Ambrosius and a donor?

The Holy family with St. Ambrosius and a donor is associated with High Renaissance.

Artwork

The Holy family with St. Ambrosius and a donor

Paris Bordone , 1520

The Holy family with St. Ambrosius and a donor is an oil painting by the High Renaissance artist Paris Bordone. It dates from 1520 and is held in the collection of the Pinacoteca di Brera.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1520, this oil painting presents a composed tableau of the Virgin Mary with the infant Christ, accompanied by a saint and a kneeling figure. The scene is set against a gently rolling landscape, its muted hills and trees providing depth while the central figures occupy a balanced, tranquil space.

Subject & Meaning

The central focus is the Holy Family, with Mary cradling the child in a gesture of maternal intimacy. To the right stands a man in red robes, traditionally identified as Saint Ambrosius, while the left features a bearded gentleman in white, likely a patron presented in prayerful posture. The arrangement underscores devotion and intercession.

Technique & Style

Executed in oil on canvas, the work displays the warm tonalities and subtle modeling characteristic of Venetian painting. Bordone’s handling of light creates a soft glow on the figures, while the layered composition and elongated forms hint at the emerging Mannerist taste for complexity within a harmonious framework.

History & Provenance

Paris Bordone, a pupil of Titian, produced the piece during his early career in the High Renaissance period. The painting entered the collection of Milan’s Pinacoteca di Brera, where it remains on display, offering insight into the artist’s development and the patronage networks of early sixteenth‑century Venice.

Artist & collection

Artist

Paris Bordone

Paris Bordone (Paris Paschalinus Bordone; 5 July 1500 – 19 January 1571) was an Italian painter of the Venetian Renaissance who, despite training with Titian, maintained a strand of Mannerist complexity and provincial vigor.