The Holy Family with Saints Lorenzo, Francis of Assisi, Pellegrino, and John the Baptist

Schedoni’s gift for color is exceptionally deployed in this monumental altarpiece. In the lower register an array of saints venerate the Holy Family in the celestial paradise above. Warm, yellow light envelops Joseph, Mary, and Jesus and highlights their multicolored garments. St. Lawrence dominates the barren landscape below. Wearing masterfully painted lavender and gold religious dress, the saint faces us and signals our attention to the divine.

Schedoni painted this altarpiece for the cathedral of a small village called Fanano while employed by the court of nearby Modena. It remained unfinished when Schedoni was named First Painter to Duke Ranuccio I Farnese in December 1607. Even in its rough state Ranuccio was taken with the altarpiece, and he purchased it from the original patron. Schedoni then completed it in Parma at the Farnese court.