Getty Museum
The Holy Family
Creator
Jan GossaertArtist · 1478–1532
All works by this person →Jan Gossaert's journey to Italy in 1508 with Philip of Burgundy led to a revolution in Netherlandish art because he brought home new painting ideas and a new trend. For the next 150 years, Flemish painters regularly visited Italy, often adopting an Italianate style of painting. Gossaert's version of the style married Flemish figures with Italianized architectural elements and classical poses. Roya
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- about 1507–1508
- Medium
- Oil on panel
- Culture
- Netherlandish
- Department
- Paintings
- Institution
- Getty Museum
Elegance, sophistication, and worldliness define this portrayal of Mary, Joseph, and the Christ Child. Embedded in a fantastic cityscape with an elaborate fountain, the half-hidden figure of Joseph draws the viewer's attention, as do the lilies symbolizing the Virgin's purity in the right foreground. Contemporary taste in Antwerp and Brussels, where this painting was probably made, demanded that nearly every inch of a picture be filled with activity or ornament and that it be as ornate and decorative as possible. Even Mary's headdress provided an opportunity for an eye-catching, energetic shape fluttering against the flowering vines. Jan Gossaert set the figures in an inventive complex of pseudo-antique architecture, indicating his general awareness of Italian styles, probably gained through prints from Italy, which often circulated in Northern Europe, rather than from actual experience.
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