(Milan 1571–1610 Porto Ercole)
The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist,
oil on canvas, 110.5 x 92.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private collection, Brussels (since at least 1951)

The present painting derives from a composition known from an 17th century engraving signed by Pierre Daret, of Brussels and given to Carravaggio because of the inscription: 'Daret scul...Mich. Ang de Caravaggio inve.t' (see H. Voss, Carrvaggio´s Frühzeit: Beiträage zur Kritik siner Werke und seiner Entwicklung, in Jahrbuch der Preuszischen Kunstsammulungen, XLIV, 1923, pp.81-82). Critics, however, disagree as to whether the composition was invented by Carravaggio or by one of his followers (see A. Moir Carravaggio and his copyists, New York 1976 (p. 117 and p. 158).

The present work is one of several known versions of the composition which includes an example from the Altramirano-Otrero Silva collection in Caracas, (and later on long-term loan at the Metropolitan in New York), which was published as the original version by Caravaggio by Christiansen (see K. Christiansen, Caravaggio's Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist, in Paragone, 26, 1999, pp. 3-11). This painting was also published by Marini (see M. Marini, Caravaggio, pictor praestantissimus, Rome 2001 (pp. 518-520) and Spike (see J. Spike Caravaggio, New York-London 2001 (CD no. 44). Other versions of the present composition are in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Tours and in the Staatliche Museen, Berlin.

The execution of the present painting is refined and it carefully executed, especially in the details of the faces. The scene has a theatrical mood and, at the same time, one of domestic intimacy: the players emerge from the background in dim light and dominate the scene with ease. The solution for the composition is Caravaggesque, with the figures arranged in an oval with an opening in the middle to suggest spatial depth. The skilled distribution of light and shadow, the profiling of the flesh with a dark outline and the brushwork with touches of white lead, visible in x-ray, suggest an artist close to Caravaggio. The folds of the garments give a well-defined sculptural relief to the figures.

The present composition is an original synthesis of elements from Caravaggio's vocabulary and refers to his style during his years in Rome, as well as to his early Neapolitan period: the face of the Madonna recalls the Salome in London of 1607; the nudity of the Child harks back to the Madonna dei Palafrenieri of 1606, even though the Madonna is dressed in the most humble, simple fashion. Joseph's face, with wrinkles that furrow the brow, indicating his spiritual condition, is similar to that of the Apostle Thomas in the canvas from Potsdam if 1601-02.


Additional image:
X-ray of the present painting
© ]a[ NTK 2015 Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. M. Schreiner