Madonna and Child with Sts Joseph and Magdalene

The painting is dated to circa 1525 on the basis of stylistic and technical analysis.

It entered the collection of Bartolomeo della Nave in Venice before 1636. By 1659 it was recorded in the collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria. It has remained in the holdings of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna since that date.

The painting Madonna and Child with Sts Joseph and Magdalene is currently held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Its provenance traces back to the collector Bartolomeo della Nave before passing to Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, who eventually bequeathed it to the museum. The work is cataloged within the museum's holdings as an oil on panel painting attributed to Palma Vecchio, created around 1525.

While the sources confirm its long-standing residence in Vienna and its ownership history, no specific inventory or accession numbers are provided in the available records. Furthermore, the provided documentation does not list any specific past or future exhibitions for this artwork.

The attribution of Madonna and Child with Sts Joseph and Magdalene has evolved through scholarly discourse, with early catalogues assigning it to Jacopo Negretti before refined stylistic analysis solidified its connection to Palma Vecchio’s mature period. Current scholarship situates the work within the Venetian school’s devotional output, emphasizing its role in the evolving depiction of secondary saints like Mary Magdalene alongside the Holy Family, reflecting Counter-Reformation sensibilities regarding penitence and familial holiness. The painting’s provenance, documented in the collections of Bartolomeo della Nave and Archduke Leopold Wilhelm before its acquisition by the Kunsthistorisches Museum, highlights its movement across elite private and imperial patronage networks, reinforcing its significance beyond Venetian workshops into broader European art collecting practices of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Its stylistic features, including compositional balance and use of color, align with Palma Vecchio’s documented output circa 1525, contributing to ongoing debates about workshop practices and artistic identity in Renaissance Venice.

Created in 1525, this oil painting presents the Virgin Mary holding the infant Christ, accompanied by Saint Joseph and Mary Magdalene. Executed by the Venetian artist known as Palma Vecchio, the work exemplifies the compositional balance and serene atmosphere characteristic of the Italian High Renaissance. It is part of the permanent collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.