Spanish school; 18th century.
"Saint Joseph with Child".
Painted glass.
It has a frame in polychrome iron plate.
It shows rust on the frame.
Measurements: 29 x 22 cm (glass); 49 x 31 cm (frame).
On a background illuminated by the divine aura of each one of the protagonists, Saint Joseph and the Child merge in an embrace. Both the light treatment present in this piece is striking, to a large extent enhanced by the qualities of the support itself. The softness of the faces and figures should also be emphasised.
The iconography of Saint Joseph, although one of the oldest in Christianity, tended to be relegated to a secondary role in the main themes of the Life of Christ. It was not until the Gothic period that he began to appear more frequently both in art and in liturgy and devotion, and with the expansion of the latter, his figure began to gain importance, until the Baroque and Counter-Reformation periods brought him to the foreground (slightly secondary to Mary), and he was now very frequently accompanied by the Christ Child, as was the Virgin.