Artwork
Die Heilige Sippe
Die Heilige Sippe is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Felix Ivo Leicher. It dates from 1770 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the Holy Family, a central subject in Christian iconography that typically includes the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and Saint Joseph.
The painting depicts the Holy Family, a central subject in Christian iconography that typically includes the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and Saint Joseph. Leicher’s composition centers on Mary holding the Christ Child, with Joseph positioned nearby, emphasizing familial bonds and divine lineage. The use of copper as a support underscores the work’s intimate scale and refined detail, common in eighteenth-century devotional art.
The religious genre and the subject’s traditional arrangement reflect the work’s purpose as a private or semi-public devotional image, reinforcing themes of piety and sacred lineage.
Technique & Style
Die Heilige Sippe is an oil painting executed on a copper support, created by Felix Ivo Leicher in 1770. The work measures 92.5 cm in height and 60 cm in width. As a religious genre piece, the medium of oil on copper was a common choice for small-scale devotional works of the period, allowing for fine detail and a luminous surface quality. The painting depicts the Holy Family, featuring Mary, the Christ Child, and Joseph.
History & Provenance
The religious painting titled 'Die Heilige Sippe' was created in 1770 by the artist Felix Ivo Leicher. Executed in oil paint on a copper support, the work depicts the Holy Family, specifically featuring Mary, the Christ Child, and Joseph. The piece measures 92.5 cm in height and 60 cm in width.
Historically, the artwork has been held in the collections of major Viennese institutions, with records associating it with both the Belvedere and the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
Overview
Created in 1770 by the Czech‑Austrian painter Felix Ivo Leicher, this small‑scale work is executed on copper and belongs to the late Rococo period. It is part of the permanent holdings of Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it is displayed among the museum’s Baroque and Rococo religious paintings.
Context
Leicher worked within the artistic currents of the Habsburg Empire, where Rococo’s ornamental elegance merged with devotional subjects. The work’s intimate scale and use of copper align with contemporary practices for private devotional images intended for personal contemplation rather than large‑scale church altarpieces.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Felix Ivo Leicher (18 or 19 May 1727 – 20 February 1812) was a Czech-Austrian painter of altarpieces and secular works, which was spread to a wide area throughout the Habsburg Empire and beyond.
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