Holy Family, from Michelangelo

Henry Noel Humphreys

1829

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism Early 19th Century Religious

About this work

This sketch shows a man kneeling beside a seated woman holding a baby. The man’s face is lined, and he rests his hand on the woman’s shoulder. Behind them, a small cherubic figure leans over the woman’s head. The lines are loose and quick, like a rough drawing. The artist used a technique called lithography, which lets you draw directly on a stone and print it. This sketch was made as a test print before adding text. Look up lithography to see how it works.