The Holy Family

Joos van Cleve

ca. 1512–13 · Oil on wood · European Paintings

Joos based this depiction of the Virgin and Child on a celebrated work by Jan van Eyck, but with the addition of a figure of Saint Joseph. The fruits and wine allude to Christ’s incarnation and sacrifice, yet, presented as part of everyday life, they also testify to the emerging genre of still-life painting. The combination of quotidian domestic intimacy and symbolic meaning must have had mass appeal, since many variations of this painting were produced for sale on the open market.

Artist

Joos van Cleve

Date

ca. 1512–13

Medium

Oil on wood

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931