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Holy Family with the Saints

Circle of Bonifazio de Pitati

Basic information

ID: Ж-96
Author: Circle of Bonifazio de Pitati
Name: Holy Family with the Saints
Technique: oil painting
Material: canvas oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm): 56.5 x 73.2

Additionally

Type: painting
Genre: religious
Plot: Holy Family
Provenance: Collection of Lviv City Gallery
Exposition: Potocki Palace

Information about author

Author: Circle of Bonifazio de Pitati
Biography: Bonifazio de Pitati, also known as Bonifazio Veronese, was a Venetian painter of the 16th century who hailed from Verona. The de Pitati family moved to Venice, where Bonifazio studied painting. He may have been a student of the artist Palma Vecchio. He created religious imagery and portraits. De Pitati's work appears to be divided between two schools: at times, his pieces are characteristic of the Venetian School, showcasing depictions of the Madonna with Saints, known as the "Holy Conversation", while at other times, he departs from conventional imagery and familiar compositional techniques. The works by Bonifazio de Pitati are considered part of the transitional phase from the Renaissance to Mannerism, which coexisted for a long time with the Late Venetian Renaissance.

Object description

The work belongs to the type of composition known as "Holy Conversation", where the artist skilfully replicates the genre's technique, developed in Italian painting during the Renaissance, depicting the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus among a group of saints. The composition of the Sacra Conversazione is structured so that all the leading figures are on the same level, which is why the work is in a horizontal format. The Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus sits in the centre, while on the left are Saint John the Baptist and Saint Elizabeth. The gestures and gazes of all are directed towards Jesus, indicating adoration. John the Baptist extends a cross with a ribbon bearing the inscription "Ecce Agnus Dei" ("Behold the Lamb of God") towards the Child, serving as a reminder to the viewer of His redemptive sacrifice. Such works were often commissioned for private chapels or prayer rooms. The choice of depicted saints is dictated by the patrons of the commissioner and their family, as well as the patrons of the church or city.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Holy Family with the Saints

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