Artwork
The Holy Family with Angels
The Holy Family with Angels is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Domenico Beccafumi. It dates from 1548 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The Holy Family with Angels is executed in oil on panel, a support consistent with mid-sixteenth-century Sienese practice.
The Holy Family with Angels is executed in oil on panel, a support consistent with mid-sixteenth-century Sienese practice. The painting measures 81.3 cm in height by 61.6 cm in width, a relatively intimate vertical format suited to a devotional work. Beccafumi's handling reflects the refined Mannerist idiom associated with his late career, with the work classified within the religious genre and held in the Samuel H. Kress Collection at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C..
The sources confirm medium, support, dimensions, and stylistic classification, but do not provide further detail on specific pigments, ground preparation, surface condition, or conservation history.
History & Provenance
The Holy Family with Angels is an oil-on-panel painting dated to 1550 by Domenico Beccafumi. Its provenance begins with Enrico Marinucci in Rome; the work was likely offered for sale in 1936‑1937 and probably acquired by Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi, who sold it to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation in 1939. The foundation presented the painting as a gift to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1943, where it remains part of the Samuel H. Kress Collection. Archival notes suggest the piece may have formerly belonged to Cardinal Pietro Gasparri’s collection.
The Holy Family with Angels is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as part of the Samuel H. Kress Collection. It entered the Kress holdings in 1939 and was given to the NGA in 1943.
Earlier provenance traces the panel to Enrico Marinucci in Rome, from whom it was probably sold in 1936 or 1937 to Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi in Florence and Rome. A 1936 letter from Enrico Cappiello, offering pictures on behalf of Marinucci, suggests the work may have descended from the collection of Cardinal Pietro Gasparri.
No exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
Overview
Domenico di Pace Beccafumi, a prominent Sienese painter, created The Holy Family with Angels around 1548. This oil on panel work exemplifies his mature style, characterized by its refined execution. The painting presents a sacred domestic scene, featuring the Virgin Mary, Christ Child, and Saint Joseph, alongside attendant angels, reflecting the artistic currents of the late Renaissance and early Mannerist periods in Siena.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on the Virgin Mary, depicted with a pink head covering and a blue cloak, cradling the Christ Child. The infant Jesus, shown holding a book, sits on a surface, his lighter skin tone providing a visual contrast to the adults. Saint Joseph completes the central family group, while several angels attend them.
The artist employs distinct colors and drapery, such as the flowing cloak of the Virgin, to differentiate each figure within this sacred family tableau.
Context
Domenico di Pace Beccafumi was a leading figure within the Sienese school of painting, active during the transition from the High Renaissance to Mannerism. His work, including this depiction of the Holy Family, demonstrates a departure from classical ideals towards a more intricate and emotionally charged aesthetic. Operating primarily in Siena, Beccafumi contributed significantly to the development of Mannerist principles in central Italy.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Domenico di Pace Beccafumi was an Italian Renaissance-Mannerist painter active predominantly in Siena. He is considered one of the last undiluted representatives of the Sienese school of painting.
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