Oil, canvas, size 33 x 45 cm, ca. 17th - 18th century.
A small, intimate image of the Holy Family from the 17th - 18th century, perhaps a fragment of an originally slightly larger composition. Centrally in the foreground is the figure of Mary with a blessing child held in her arms, accompanied by the figures of St. Joseph and Mary's Parents - Jesus' grandparents, known only from the apocrypha - St. Anne and St. Joachim. This type of depiction, known as early as the 17th century, became popular with the establishment of the Feast of the Holy Family in the last octave of December. The painting on display, despite the passage of time and its successive restorations, retains its original composition, and the figures depicted in it - the individualized character given to their faces by an unknown artist. The gesture of St. Anne, holding the baby's foot, makes the representation more intimate and private, probably intended for private contemplation.
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