Artwork
Holy Family with the Infant St. John
Holy Family with the Infant St. John is an oil painting by the High Renaissance artist Antonio da Correggio. It dates from 1514 and is held in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Holy Family with the Infant St.
About this work
This painting is called Holy Family with the Infant St. John. It's an oil paint work.
The painting is attributed to Correggio and dates back to around 1514. It's a small oil on canvas painting, which has been in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art since 1946.
You can learn more about the artist who created this work, Antonio da Correggio.
Subject & Meaning
The painting is housed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art since 1946.
The painting shows the Virgin Mary seated with the infant Jesus on her lap, while the young John the Baptist offers a cross to the Christ Child, symbolizing his future role. Joseph stands behind them, partially visible, observing the scene. The composition incorporates traditional iconographic elements such as the infant John holding a cross and the presence of a fourteenth-century-style parapet, reflecting quattrocento influences. The work’s provenance includes an early 20th-century attribution to Antonio da Correggio, supported by scholars including Bernard Berenson, Adolfo Venturi, and later Mario Di Giampaolo and Andrea Muzzi, though David Ekserdjian has recently questioned its authorship, suggesting it may be by a follower from Correggio’s circle in Parma. The painting is housed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art since 1946.
History & Provenance
Dating to approximately 1514, this small oil painting was originally executed on panel before being transferred to canvas. The work first entered critical discourse in the early 20th century, notably when it was lent to the Fogg Art Museum between 1905 and 1906. There, Bernard Berenson examined the piece and subsequently published his analysis in 1907, attributing it to Antonio da Correggio. This attribution received support from Adolfo Venturi and later from Arturo Carlo Quintavalle and Cecil Gould during the 1970s, though David Alan Brown proposed it was instead an imitation by Francesco Maria Rondani. Recent scholarship has seen David Ekserdjian express significant doubts, while Mario Di Giampaolo and Andrea Muzzi have maintained the traditional attribution. The painting has been part of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art collection since 1946.
The painting *Holy Family with the Infant St. John* is held by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in Los Angeles, where it has been part of the collection since 1946. The work was first documented by critics in the early 20th century and lent to the Fogg Art Museum in 1905 or 1906 for study by Bernard Berenson, who published his findings in 1907. This early exhibition facilitated initial attribution debates that continued through the 20th century, with scholars such as Adolfo Venturi, Arturo Carlo Quintavalle, and Cecil Gould supporting the Correggio attribution, while others like David Alan Brown proposed it was an imitation by Francesco Maria Rondani.
Context
First brought to critical attention in the early 20th century, this small panel was exhibited at the Fogg Art Museum around 1905 and subsequently analyzed by Bernard Berenson, who published his attribution to Correggio in 1907. This identification gained support from Adolfo Venturi and later scholars Arturo Carlo Quintavalle and Cecil Gould during the 1970s. However, the work's place in Correggio's oeuvre remains contested; David Alan Brown proposed it is instead an imitation by Francesco Maria Rondani, a Parmese painter known for reworking Correggio's style. Contemporary scholarship reflects this division, with Mario Di Giampaolo and Andrea Muzzi maintaining the traditional attribution, while David Ekserdjian has expressed significant doubts. Critics questioning Correggio's authorship point to technical inconsistencies, such as the handling of drapery and spatial perspective, suggesting the piece may be a simplified derivation of Raphaelian models by a follower within the Parma school rather than an original by the master.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Antonio Allegri da Correggio, usually known as just Correggio, was an Italian Renaissance painter who was the foremost painter of the Parma school of the High Renaissance, who was responsible for some of the most…
