Informal scenes of the Holy Family were popular in Spain and its colonies. Saint Joseph, portrayed as a handsome young man, here clasps the Child's hand in a gesture of affection and fatherly guidance. Joseph's other hand grasps a triple-branched lily on a single stem--his attribute and here a symbol of the Trinity. The Christ Child holds a basket of carpenter's tools. His red sandals are made in an Incan style. Originally, a full border of roses and native lilies would have further flattened the pictorial space. This was mostly removed, probably to make the canvas fit the current frame.
