Artwork
A Miracle of Saint Joseph of Cupertino (1603–1663)
A Miracle of Saint Joseph of Cupertino (1603–1663) is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Placido Costanzi. It dates from 1750 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The painting's support is a canvas substrate, and the artist employed layered oil pigments to render the narrative scene of the saint performing a miracle.
The work titled A Miracle of Saint Joseph of Cupertino, painted by Placido Costanzi in 1750, is executed in oil on canvas, a medium typical of 18th-century religious artworks. The painting's support is a canvas substrate, and the artist employed layered oil pigments to render the narrative scene of the saint performing a miracle. Its subject matter centers on a saint, a child, a man and a woman, reflecting the devotional genre of the period.
The work is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains part of the institution's collection.
History & Provenance
The painting titled A Miracle of Saint Joseph of Cupertino was created by the artist Placido Costanzi in 1750. Executed in oil on canvas, the work falls within the religious genre and depicts a saint alongside a child, a man, and a woman. While the specific commissioning patron or original location is not detailed in the available records, the creation date is firmly established as 1750.
The artwork subsequently entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently housed. The piece was produced approximately a century after the saint's death in 1663.
Overview
Placido Costanzi's oil painting, A Miracle of Saint Joseph of Cupertino, created around 1750, captures a dramatic religious event. This work exemplifies the Rococo aesthetic through its narrative focus and decorative elements. The Italian artist, a prominent figure in Rome's art scene, depicted the saint's levitation before an astonished crowd. It is currently housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Subject & Meaning
The painting illustrates a miraculous moment attributed to Saint Joseph of Cupertino (1603–1663), known for his ecstatic flights. The central figure, clad in a brown habit, hovers above the ground, supporting another individual. Below, a diverse group of onlookers, including a man, a woman, and a child, reacts with a mixture of awe and apprehension to the extraordinary event unfolding within what appears to be a church or courtyard setting.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Placido Costanzi (1702 – 2 October 1759) was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque period.
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