Artwork
The Holy Family with Angels
The Holy Family with Angels is an oil painting by the High Baroque Italian artist Sebastiano Ricci. It dates from 1700 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition explicitly includes Joseph, who is shown reading, alongside the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus, all surrounded by celestial figures.
Sebastiano Ricci's c. 1700 oil painting depicts the Holy Family accompanied by angels, presenting a traditional religious subject centered on the domestic life of Mary, Joseph, and the Christ Child. The composition explicitly includes Joseph, who is shown reading, alongside the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus, all surrounded by celestial figures. The inclusion of angels serves to elevate the scene from a mere domestic portrait to a sacred moment, emphasizing the divine nature of the figures.
The work functions as a visual meditation on the holy relationships and the presence of the divine within the earthly sphere of the Holy Family.
History & Provenance
The Holy Family with Angels is dated to circa 1700 and attributed to Sebastiano Ricci, who executed it in oil on canvas. The sources do not record a specific commission or earlier owners. The work is presently part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Overview
This oil painting, titled The Holy Family with Angels, depicts a traditional religious scene. At its center, a woman cradles a nude infant, while an older man observes from behind them. Two winged, youthful figures kneel nearby, directing their gaze upwards.
The composition is set against a natural backdrop featuring a leafy tree and a clear blue sky, establishing a serene atmosphere for the sacred gathering.
Technique & Style
The artist employed oil paint to create a sense of depth and volume within the composition. A notable characteristic is the dramatic interplay of light and shadow, which sculpts the figures and enhances their three-dimensionality. This technique is particularly evident in the radiant depiction of the infant's skin, which appears to glow in contrast to the darker drapery worn by the surrounding figures, drawing the viewer's eye to the central subject.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Sebastiano Ricci (1 August 1659 – 15 May 1734) was an Italian Baroque painter of the late Baroque period in Venetian painting.
The Virgin and Child
Mystical Marriage of St Catharine
Presentation Sketch for "The Holy Family with Saints Anne, Joachim, and John the Baptist" (for Santa Maria in Via Lata, Roma)
Presentation Sketch for "The Holy Family with Saints Anne, Joachim, and John the Baptist" (for Santa Maria in Via Lata, Roma)
Rest on the Flight into Egypt
The Rest on The Flight into Egypt
The Rest on The Flight into Egypt
Mystic marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria
The Holy Family. The Rest on the Flight into Egypt
The Virgin and Child with Saints Elizabeth and John
The Holy Family with Saints Anne and Catherine of Alexandria- Holy Family with Angels