The Holy Family (Christ in the Lap of Truth)
William Blakec. 1805
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
Although he rejected institutionalized religion, Blake was intensely spiritual, and much of his art was inspired by a highly personal reading of the Bible or by literature based upon it, such as John Milton’s <em>Paradise Lost </em>(1667). The Virgin Mary is centered in this highly stylized composition. Upon her lap she clasps the infant Christ whose outstretched arms foreshadow the Crucifixion. The Mother and Child are flanked by Saint Joseph on the left, and Saint Anne (the Virgin’s mother), on the right. Below, Saint John the Baptist, who foretold Christ’s death and resurrection, plays with a lamb.
- Title: The Holy Family (Christ in the Lap of Truth)
- Creator: William Blake (British, 1757–1827)
- Date Created: c. 1805
- Physical Dimensions: Sheet: 37.9 x 32.5 cm (14 15/16 x 12 13/16 in.)
- Provenance: Thomas Butts [1757-1845], London, Thomas Butts Jr., (his sale, Property of Thomas Butts, Esq., Messrs. Foster and Son, London, June 29, 1853, no. 127, sold to Henry George Bohn), Henry George Bohn [1796-1884], London, Alexander Anderdon Weston [1822-1901; Lugt 65], by descent to his widow, Mrs. Alexander Anderdon Weston, (her anonymous sale, Christie's, London, June 28, 1904, no. 5, sold to E. Parsons), E. Parsons, sold to W. Graham Robertson, W. Graham Robertson [1866-1948], London, (his sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, Ltd., London, July 22, 1949, no. 24, probably sold to Thomas Agnew and Sons, London), (Thomas Agnew and Sons, London, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH), Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Type: Drawing
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1950.239
- Medium: black, gray, and brown ink applied with pen and point of brush; gray, pink, yellow, and green wash
- Inscriptions: signed, lower right, in black ink: [artist's monogram:8 inv / wb], verso, upper center, in graphite: G [collector's mark? (not in Lugt)], across bottom, in graphite: no. 9 [S?]ingle, across bottom, in graphite: The Holy Family / Jesus-Mary-Joseph-Elizabeth + St. John, lower center, in graphite: 50/ [7?]
- Fun Fact: This drawing was first owned by Thomas Butts, an English civil servant who became William Blake's most important patron and supporter for about two decades.
- Department: Drawings
- Culture: England, London, 18th century
- Credit Line: John L. Severance Fund
- Collection: DR - British
- Accession Number: 1950.239
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