BOLOGNESE SCHOOL, 17TH CENTURY

BOLOGNESE SCHOOL, 17TH CENTURY
The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist
Oil on canvas
71 x 55 cm

Provenance: Private Collection, Nice

Between the 16th and 17th centuries, Italy witnessed the flourishing painting art of the Bolognese School or the School of Bologna, rival to Florence and Rome. Pioneered by the Carracci family, this school merged together the solidity of High Renaissance painting and the rich colours of the Venetian school.
This painting shows a grouping of four figures, the Virgin Mary with the Christ child, the infant John the Baptist on their right and Joseph on the left. The figures are set against a landscape with forest in the background. Mary, wearing a blue and red gown, holds the child, while the infant Joseph, wrapped in animal skin, gazes at her holding a wooden cross.
It was not uncommon to see John as a small boy depicted in adoration of the Christ child during the Holy Family’s journey back from Egypt.