Artwork
Holy family with little John the Baptist
Holy family with little John the Baptist is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Giorgio Vasari. It dates from 1545 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a work of religious genre, the piece serves as a devotional image emphasizing the sanctity of the family unit within the context of the Incarnation.
Giorgio Vasari's 1545 oil painting depicts the Holy Family, a central subject in religious art. The composition features the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and Saint Joseph, representing the domestic and spiritual core of Christian iconography. Although the title suggests the presence of the young John the Baptist, the primary visual narrative focuses on the familial bond between the three main figures.
As a work of religious genre, the piece serves as a devotional image emphasizing the sanctity of the family unit within the context of the Incarnation.
Technique & Style
Giorgio Vasari executed Holy Family with Little John the Baptist in 1545 using oil paint applied to a poplar panel support. The work measures 96 cm in height and 73 cm in width. As a religious painting, the composition depicts the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and Saint Joseph, with the young John the Baptist also present. The piece is currently held within the Bavarian State Painting Collections at the Alte Pinakothek.
History & Provenance
Giorgio Vasari executed the oil painting Holy Family with Little John the Baptist in 1545. The work was created on a poplar panel and depicts the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and Saint Joseph. While specific details regarding its original commission or early ownership history are not provided in the available records, the painting's inception is firmly established to the year 1545.
In its modern history, the artwork entered the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, specifically held under the Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfonds. It is currently housed and displayed at the Alte Pinakothek.
The painting is held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections, Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfonds, in Munich.
It is inventoried as Alte Pinakothek, accession number 698, and measures 96 by 73 cm on poplar panel.
The work was included in the exhibition “Vasari: Zeichnungen, Gemälde, Architektur” held in Munich in 1981–1982.
Overview
Giorgio Vasari executed the oil painting Holy Family with Little John the Baptist in 1545. The work brings together the Virgin Mary, the infant Christ, the young John the Baptist and a hint of Joseph, arranged in a compact, intimate grouping. It is part of the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich and exemplifies Vasari’s activity as a painter during the later phase of the Italian Renaissance.
Context
Created during the mid‑16th century, the work reflects the transition from High Renaissance ideals to the more stylized Mannerist approach that Vasari and his contemporaries pursued. The inclusion of a youthful John the Baptist aligns with contemporary devotional trends that emphasized the prophetic link between the two infants.
Legacy
While Vasari is chiefly remembered for his seminal art historical writings, this painting demonstrates his competence in visual art and contributes to the understanding of how Mannerist painters reinterpreted traditional religious subjects for private devotion.
Artist & collection
Artist
Giorgio Vasari (30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance painter, architect, art historian, and biographer known for his work Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, considered…
- Holy Family with St John the Baptist
The Holy Family with St. John the Baptist
The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist
The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist
Holy Family with St. John the Baptist as child
The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist
The Holy Family with St John the Baptist
The Holy Family with the Infant John the Baptist
The Holy Family with Child Saint John
Holy Family with St. John the Baptist