1550
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Holy Family is a 1550 by Giulio Bonasone, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This print shows a group of people in a forest setting. A woman holds a baby while a man stands beside her, both dressed in flowing robes. Around them, trees and bushes fill the scene, with small animals like birds and deer scattered on the ground. The sky is light, with wispy clouds and distant hills. Notice how the artist used shading to give the figures depth, making some areas look darker and others lighter. This helps the scene feel three-dimensional even though it’s a print. Check out chiaroscuro to see how artists use light and shadow like this.
The engraving depicts the Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist in a broad landscape setting. The Virgin Mary and the Christ Child are shown resting beneath a tree, following a composition by Titian. The work is rendered as a print on paper.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Giulio Bonasone (c. 1498 – after 1574) (or Giulio de Antonio Buonasone or Julio Bonoso) was an Italian painter and engraver born in Bologna. He possibly studied painting under Lorenzo Sabbatini, and painted a Purgatory…
See the richer artist page
