Artwork
The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist
The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Michel Ange Houasse. It dates from 1723 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows the Holy Family gathered with the infant John the Baptist, a composition rooted in Christian scriptural tradition that unites Mary, Joseph, and the Christ Child with the prophetic forerunner. The basketry element, rendered as a symbolic reference to domestic stability and provision, reinforces themes of nurture and divine purpose within the sacred narrative. Created in 1723 by Michel-Ange Houasse, the work employs oil on canvas to convey a gentle, devotional intimacy characteristic of early 18th‑century religious art.
The iconography emphasizes familial unity and the recognition of Christ’s future role, while the presence of Saint John the Baptist underscores his prophetic connection to the Messiah. This symbolic pairing reflects Counter‑Reformation ideals of spiritual preparation and the intergenerational transmission of faith, as documented in the Prado’s collection records.
Technique & Style
The work measures 63 by 84 centimeters in a horizontal format suited to its intimate devotional subject.
The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for Michel Ange Houasse's religious compositions of the early eighteenth century. The work measures 63 by 84 centimeters in a horizontal format suited to its intimate devotional subject. Among its depicted elements is basketry, rendered alongside the Holy Family grouping.
As a religious painting held in the Museo del Prado, it reflects the academic handling typical of Houasse's practice, though specific condition notes and stylistic analyses are not documented in the available sources. confirms the medium as oil paint and the work's classification as a religious painting dated 1723. supplies the canvas support, dimensions, and the inclusion of basketry within the depicted scene.
History & Provenance
Michel Ange Houasse executed The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist in 1723. Created as an oil painting on canvas, the work measures 63 cm in height and 84 cm in width. The piece entered the Spanish royal collection, where it was successively owned by monarchs Philip V, Charles III, and Ferdinand VII. It is currently held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist, painted by Michel Ange Houasse in 1723, is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid, where it is recorded as an oil-on-canvas work. The painting's provenance traces through the Spanish royal collections, having been owned successively by Philip V of Spain, Charles III of Spain, and Ferdinand VII of Spain before entering the museum's holdings.
Context
Michel-Ange Houasse painted this religious work in 1723, depicting the Holy Family alongside the infant John the Baptist within a basketry motif. The painting measures 63 cm in height by 84 cm in width and was created in oil on canvas. It entered royal Spanish collections, initially owned by Ferdinand VII before passing to Charles III and Philip V. Today it remains part of the Museo del Prado's holdings, reflecting the family's patronage of religious art in the early 18th century.
Legacy
The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist has been recognized for its role in shaping 18th-century religious painting, particularly within the Spanish court's artistic patronage. Its depiction of domestic intimacy within a sacred context influenced later artists exploring similar themes in European art institutions.
The work remains part of the Museo del Prado's collection, reflecting its enduring cultural significance.
Overview
The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist is a 1723 oil painting by Michel Ange Houasse, a French artist active at the Spanish court.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Michel Ange Houasse (1680–1730) was a French painter, most of whose career was spent at the court of Philip V of Spain, who summoned him to the court in Madrid in 1715 whilst he was still Philip of Anjou.
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