School of LUCA GIORDANO (Naples, 1634 - 1705).
"Saint Joseph with Child".
Oil on canvas.
The original canvas is preserved.
It has repainting and restorations on the pictorial layer.
It has redorado in the frame.
Measurements: 77 x 59 cm: 91 x 72,5 cm (frame).
The work shows Saint Joseph, identified by the flowered rod, seated with the Child in his lap, in a family scene full of tenderness typical of the Sevillian master. Until the Counter-Reformation, the figure of Saint Joseph was usually relegated to the background as he was not accorded any theological importance. After Trent, however, his leading role as Jesus' protector during his childhood and as a guide during his youth was revived, and he is depicted here as such. In contrast to the tenderness, defencelessness and candour of the infant figure, Saint Joseph is presented as a monumental, typically Baroque figure, an impression that is reinforced by the pyramidal composition. Through this form of representation, the author visually emphasises the decisive role of Jesus' putative father as protector.
Due to the technical characteristics, such as the directed light, the sobriety of the colour palette and the composition of the scene, it is possible to place this scene in the Italian Baroque period, particularly in relation to the artistic circle of Luca Giordano (Naples, 1634-1705), who painted scenes very similar to the present one. Giordano enjoyed great popularity during his lifetime, both in Italy and Spain. His style was influenced by artists such as Mattia Preti, Rubens, Bernini and, above all, Pietro da Cortona, whose physical types inspired those of Giordano. During the late 1670s he began his large-scale mural decorations (Montecassino, 1677-1678, and San Gregorio Armeno, Naples, 1679), followed in 1682 by the dome of the Corsini chapel in the church of Carmine (Florence) and those of the gallery and library of the Palazzo Medici Ricardi (Florence). In 1692 he was called to Madrid to carry out the mural decorations in the monastery of El Escorial, both in the staircase and in the vaults of the basilica, where he worked from 1692 to 1694. The former is his most painstaking work, the process of which was closely followed by the monarch himself, Charles II. This was followed by the decoration of the monarch's office and bedroom (destroyed) in the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. He was then commissioned to decorate the Casón del Buen Retiro (ca. 1697); the sacristy of Toledo Cathedral (1698); the decoration of the royal chapel of the Alcázar (destroyed); and Saint Anthony of the Portuguese (1699), in which Giordano depicted eight scenes from the life of Saint Anthony of Padua painted on tapestries. The arrival of Philip V in 1701 and the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession led to the end of his royal commissions and his return to Naples, although he continued to send paintings to Spain.