Artwork
The Holy Family
The Holy Family is an oil painting by the Biedermeier artist Rafał Hadziewicz. It dates from 1844 and is held in the collection of the National Museum in Kraków.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
According to the catalogue record, these three figures are the named elements shown in the composition, with the Holy Family identified as the main subject.
The painting depicts the Holy Family, a traditional religious subject comprising Mary, the Christ Child, and Joseph. According to the catalogue record, these three figures are the named elements shown in the composition, with the Holy Family identified as the main subject. The work belongs to the genre of religious art, situating it within the long Christian iconographic tradition of portraying the nuclear family of Jesus as a model of sanctity, parental devotion, and domestic harmony.
In its 1844 treatment by Rafał Hadziewicz, the Holy Family theme would have carried the conventional symbolic associations of the subject: Mary representing maternal grace and the New Eve, Joseph embodying paternal protection and righteous obedience, and the Christ Child signifying the Incarnation and humanity's salvation. Rendered in oil on canvas at a modest scale, the intimate format suits a subject typically associated with devotional contemplation rather than grand narrative display.
History & Provenance
The painting was created by Rafał Hadziewicz in 1844, as indicated by both the artist’s own dating and the museum’s records.
It has been in the collection of the National Museum in Kraków since its inception, where it remains located. The work falls within the genre of religious art, depicting the Holy Family, Mary, the Christ Child, and Saint Joseph, on a canvas support measuring 40.6 cm in height and 49 cm in width.
The work is in the collection of the National Museum in Kraków, where it is recorded with the accession dimensions 40.6 cm × 49 cm.
It has been exhibited by the National Museum in Kraków; the painting was shown in the exhibition “Sacrum w malarstwie Rafała Hadziewicza” held at the Szołayski House in Kraków in 2019.
Overview
Rafał Hadziewicz’s The Holy Family is an oil painting executed in 1844. Created during the Biedermeier period, the work presents a domestic tableau of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, and the infant Jesus. The composition is held in the National Museum in Kraków, where it forms part of the museum’s 19th‑century Polish collection.
Technique & Style
Rendered in oil, the painting benefits from the medium’s capacity for subtle tonal variation and depth. Hadziewicz employs chiaroscuro, contrasting illuminated areas with darker shadows to model the figures and give the scene a three‑dimensional presence. The restrained palette and modest details reflect the Biedermeier aesthetic of modesty and middle‑class sensibility.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Rafał Hadziewicz (13 October 1803 – 7 September 1883) was a Polish painter; primarily of portraits and religious works, and an expert on ancient culture.
- The Holy Family
The Holy Family
The Holy Family
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