Artwork
The Holy Family
The Holy Family is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Miguel Jacinto Meléndez. It dates from 1732 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts the Holy Family, Mary, the Christ Child, and Saint Joseph, arranged in a domestic interior that emphasizes their humanity and piety.
The work depicts the Holy Family, Mary, the Christ Child, and Saint Joseph, arranged in a domestic interior that emphasizes their humanity and piety.
Mary is shown seated with the Christ Child on her lap, while Joseph stands nearby holding a staff, a traditional attribute that signals his role in the Holy Family’s protection and guidance. The setting includes everyday objects and a simple architectural space, which underscores the earthly context of this sacred subject and invites contemplation of the Incarnation within family life.
Technique & Style
Created in 1732, this religious painting by Miguel Jacinto Meléndez is executed in oil paint on canvas. The work depicts the Holy Family, specifically presenting the figures of Mary, the Christ Child, and Joseph. As an oil-on-canvas piece from the early 18th century, the medium allows for the detailed rendering characteristic of the artist's religious genre works. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
History & Provenance
The work was painted in 1732 by Miguel Jacinto Meléndez and is dated to that year in the artist’s oeuvre.
It entered the Spanish royal collection and is recorded as owned by Ferdinand VII of Spain. By the early twenty-first century the painting had been deposited at the Museo del Prado and was on view at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez as part of the museum’s holdings.
The Holy Family by Miguel Jacinto Meléndez is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado. The work is currently located at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. Historical records indicate the painting was owned by Ferdinand VII of Spain.
No specific inventory or accession numbers are provided in the available sources, nor is a detailed exhibition history documented.
Context
The Holy Family by Miguel Jacinto Meléndez, painted in 1732, exemplifies 18th-century Spanish religious art within the Baroque tradition. Its composition and devotional focus reflect the era's emphasis on familial piety and ecclesiastical patronage. The work's presence in the Museo del Prado, originally part of Ferdinand VII's collection, underscores its historical significance within institutional Spanish art narratives.
Scholarly attention to Meléndez's output, including this painting, highlights his role in bridging late Baroque aesthetics with emerging Rococo sensibilities in Spanish art. The Holy Family is frequently cited in studies of Spanish religious painting as representative of the period's devotional themes and technical execution in oil on canvas.
Overview
Miguel Jacinto Meléndez’s oil painting titled The Holy Family was executed in 1732. The work presents a domestic tableau of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, the infant Christ and two additional children, set within an idyllic landscape. It is part of the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
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