The Holy Family, ca. 1515 – 1520

About the Work

The Italian painter Benvenuto Tisi was given the sobriquet "Il Garofalo" because of the carnation in his crest. He spent his entire life travelling throughout Italy in order to work together with a wide variety of contemporary artists. This painting shows an interior with coloured tiles in which the Holy Family has taken up its positions. The elderly Joseph is sitting on a wooden bench and has dozed off. The Virgin Mary is sitting on the floor and is holding the Infant Jesus in her lap. She has extended her right hand towards the flames which are flickering upwards from the embers in a portable stove. With one leg bent and his head turned to the side, the Christ Child seems literally to be writhing.