Saint Joseph with Baby Jesus

Guido Reniaround 1625

Details

Title: Saint Joseph with Baby Jesus
Creator Lifespan: 1575 - 1642
Creator Nationality: Italian
Creator Gender: Male
Creator Birth Place: Bologna
Date: around 1625
Provenance: Archbishop's Picture Gallery, Monti Collection
Physical Dimensions: w91 x h124.8 cm
Painter: Guido Reni
Description: This painting, referred to as the work of "Guidoreno" in the 1638 Monti Inventory and again in the Donation of 1650, was also attributed to the Bolognese artist in the eighteenth century Milanese guides. Nevertheless, the work was completely ignored by scholars until recently. The critical rediscovery of this painting dates back to the Bologna Exhibition dedicated to Guido Reni in 1998. On that occasion, this little scene with the Flight into Egypt in the background, which had not been visible for some time due to the folding of one side of the canvas, was restored. The noble serenity of the figures, the amplitude of the volumes, reminiscent of Raphael, and the choice of a clear and bright color palette suggest that the painting should be dated to the later years of Reni, circa 1625-30. There are also later replicas of the painting, but they are definitely of lesser quality (e.g. in the Venetian church of San Giovanni e Paolo and the Pinacoteca Civica in Fano). Despite the ample dimensions of the painting, it is certain that it was intended for private devotion.
Type: painting
Rights: © Archivio fotografico Museo Diocesano, Milano
Medium: Oil on canvas

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