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Saint Joseph with the Infant Jesus

Franz Anton Maulbertch

Basic information

ID: Ж-4032
Author: Franz Anton Maulbertch
Name: Saint Joseph with the Infant Jesus
Technique: oil painting
Material: copper oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm): 25.5 x 20

Additionally

Type: painting
Genre: religious
Plot: Saint Joseph Jesus Christ
Provenance: Collection of Lviv City Gallery
Exposition: Potocki Palace

Information about author

Author: Franz Anton Maulbertch
Artist's lifetime: 1724–1796
Country: Austria
Biography: Franz Anton Maulbertsch was one of Central Europe's most prominent monumental artists of the 18th century. His colouristic style became a canon for the artistic culture of the Habsburg Empire in the second half of the 18th century. The artist was born in Langenargen and studied painting under his father. In 1739, he entered the Vienna Academy of Arts, studying painting under Jacob van Schuppen. The monumental paintings by Paul Troger and Venetian colourists such as Giambattista Piazzetta, Sebastiano Ricci, and Giambattista Tiepolo greatly influenced the artist's creativity. In the 1750s, Franz Anton Maulbertsch developed a colourful painting style that brought him recognition. From the 1770s, he began to adopt a soft colour palette and a style that resembled the aesthetic ideals of late 18th-century Neoclassicism.

Object description

The work served as a preparatory sketch for a fresco or altarpiece scene. Saint Joseph, bowing his head, rests upon the "heart" of Jesus, who holds a lily above Saint Joseph – a symbol of purity and chastity. The Gospel contains only a few references to Saint Joseph. The apocryphal texts mention that he was a widower of advanced age and agreed to become the husband (guardian) of the Virgin Mary, whose parents had died. The advanced age of Saint Joseph may support the idea of the absence of marital relations between him and Mary, thus affirming the purity of the Blessed Virgin, who is also symbolised by a lily.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Saint Joseph with the Infant Jesus

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