Artwork
The Holy Family
The Holy Family is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Gaetano Gandolfi. It dates from 1788 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Gaetano Gandolfi's 1788 oil painting The Holy Family belongs to the genre of religious art and centers on the traditional Christian subject of the Holy Family.
Gaetano Gandolfi's 1788 oil painting The Holy Family belongs to the genre of religious art and centers on the traditional Christian subject of the Holy Family. The composition depicts the three core figures: the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and Saint Joseph. As a religious work created in Italy, the piece represents the sacred domestic unit central to Christian iconography, focusing on the familial and spiritual relationship of these figures.
Its classification as religious art underscores its function as a devotional image intended to evoke the sanctity of this biblical group.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting on canvas, executed in 1788 in Italy. It belongs to the genre of religious art and portrays the Holy Family, Mary, the infant Christ, and Saint Joseph, rendered in oil paint. The composition reflects the academic conventions of late-eighteenth-century Italian painting, emphasizing clarity of form and a balanced arrangement of the figures. The painting is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection.
History & Provenance
The Holy Family was created by Gaetano Gandolfi in 1788, executed in oil on canvas in Italy. The painting, which measures 87.0 by 68.5 centimeters, entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under accession number 1998.10. No further details regarding the original commission, intermediate ownership, or acquisition history are documented in the available sources.
Overview
The painting titled The Holy Family is an oil on canvas work depicting a central religious scene. It presents three primary figures bathed in a gentle, warm illumination. The composition emphasizes a sense of intimacy and reverence, drawing the viewer's eye to the tender interaction between the subjects. This piece exemplifies traditional devotional art, rendered with a focus on emotional depth and visual harmony.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Gaetano Gandolfi (31 August 1734 – 20 June 1802) was an Italian painter, draughtsman and sculptor of the late Baroque period, mainly active in and around Bologna.
- The Holy Family
The Holy Family
The Holy Family
The Flight into Egypt
Presentation Sketch for "The Holy Family with Saints Anne, Joachim, and John the Baptist" (for Santa Maria in Via Lata, Roma)
Holy Family with Angels
Presentation Sketch for "The Holy Family with Saints Anne, Joachim, and John the Baptist" (for Santa Maria in Via Lata, Roma)
Holy Family
The Rest on The Flight into Egypt
The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and Saint Zacharias with their Infant Saint John
The Holy Family with Angels
Mystical Marriage of St Catharine