Image: La Sagrada Familia, por José de Ribera

Description: The Holy Family is on the right, with Saint Joseph standing and the Virgin sitting next to him, the Child on her knees. Kneeling in front of them is a young woman who kisses Christ’s outstretched right hand. Generally described as a "female saint," she has been identified as Saint Catherine of Alexandria. According to the Golden Legend, Saint Catherine had a vision of Christ appearing to her, and was mystically married to him. This was a popular subject in Italian Renaissance paintings, and Catherine is often shown as accepting a wedding ring from the child Jesus. Behind her is an old woman, holding a basket with peaches and grapes, and offering a rose with her right hand. She has been recognized as a servant, or as the Virgin’s mother, Saint Anne. Ribera did not show any of the figures with haloes, and the setting is a simple domestic interior, with cotto floor. Next to the Virgin is a basket with a pillow used for embroidery. It is possible that the painting is linked to a poem of 1602 by José de Valdivielso on the life of Saint Joseph that describes the saint’s house and carpenter shop. Gustav Friedrich Waagen commented in 1838 that "you fancy that you see here, not the holy, but a very common, nay, rather vulgar family." Ribera depicted similar scenes, such as the Holy Family from the late 1630s (Sovrano Militare Ordine di Malta, Rome), the Rest from the Flight into Egypt from the late 1640s (Fondo Cultural Villar-Mir, Madrid), and the Adoration of the Shepherds, signed and dated 1650 (Musèe du Louvre, Paris). A smaller devotional painting of the Virgin and Child that also dates to 1648 (Philadelphia Museum of Art) is particularly similar to the MMA canvas, and the same model was used for the Virgin’s head. The composition of the painting reveals the influence of Raphael, of the Venetian school, and of Guido Reni on Ribera; links to Zurbarán have also been noticed. The original location of the painting is unknown. The size of the canvas suggests that it was an altarpiece, for a church altar or possibly for a private chapel. The picture was acquired in Italy by Jean-Baptiste Pierre Le Brun around 1807–8, and he claimed that "il sort de l’une des plus belles galleries de Gênes."
Title: The Holy Family with Saints Anne and Catherine of Alexandria label QS:Les,"La Sagrada Familia con Santa Ana y Santa Catalina de Alejandría" label QS:Len,"The Holy Family with Saint Anne and Saint Catherine of Alexandria"
Credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art, online database: entry 437455
Author: Jusepe de Ribera
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No