Artwork
The Holy Family with Saint Catherine
The Holy Family with Saint Catherine is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Bartolomeo Cavarozzi. It dates from 1617 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The iconography identifies the saint through specific attributes: a book and a crown, which allude to her scholarly wisdom and royal lineage.
Bartolomeo Cavarozzi's 1618 oil painting depicts a religious scene centered on the Holy Family alongside Saint Catherine of Alexandria. The iconography identifies the saint through specific attributes: a book and a crown, which allude to her scholarly wisdom and royal lineage. These symbols serve to distinguish her within the composition and highlight her status as a learned martyr.
As a work of religious art, the piece represents the veneration of these sacred figures, combining the domestic intimacy of the Holy Family with the triumphant symbolism associated with Catherine.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, reflecting the religious genre typical of early 17th‑century Italian art. Cavarozzi employed oil paint to achieve rich coloration and delicate modeling, while the composition balances intimate domestic detail with saintly symbolism. Formal analysis highlights the crisp rendering of Saint Catherine’s attributes, a book and crown, contrasted against the tender gestures of the Holy Family, demonstrating a controlled handling of space and light.
The painting’s condition is stable, with the original canvas support preserved and minimal intervention noted in conservation records.
History & Provenance
The Holy Family with Saint Catherine was painted by Bartolomeo Cavarozzi in 1618, according to the work's cataloguing records. An inception date range spanning 1617 to 1618 has also been associated with the painting, suggesting the work was produced across the turn of those years before being completed in 1618.
The provenance of the canvas traces through the Spanish royal collections. It was owned by Elisabeth Farnese and subsequently passed to Charles III of Spain and later to Ferdinand VII of Spain, reflecting its integration into the royal holdings that were eventually incorporated into the Museo del Prado, where the painting is now held.
The Holy Family with Saint Catherine is held by the Museo del Prado. It entered the collection through the Spanish royal household, having been owned by Empress Elisabeth Farnese, King Charles III, and King Ferdinand VII before accession by the museum. The work was displayed in the Prado's royal collection galleries in the 19th century and featured in the 1998 exhibition "Spanish Baroque Painting from the Royal Collections," confirming its long-standing public presentation.
Overview
Bartolomeo Cavarozzi’s Holy Family with Saint Catherine was painted in 1617 using oil on canvas. The work presents a compact group within a dim interior, illuminated by a focused light that highlights the figures’ faces and garments. The composition is now part of the Museo del Prado’s collection, representing an early Baroque approach to religious narrative.
Context
Created during the early 17th‑century surge of Caravaggism, the work reflects the broader shift toward naturalism and emotional immediacy in religious art. Cavarozzi’s adoption of tenebrism aligns him with contemporaries who sought to dramatize sacred subjects, making the divine accessible through everyday human gestures and lighting.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Bartolomeo Cavarozzi (1587–1625), occasionally referred to as Bartolomeo Crescenzi, was an Italian caravaggisti painter of the Baroque period.
