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Collections: American Art: Saint Joseph and the Christ Child

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Saint Joseph and the Christ Child

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.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Place Made: Peru
Dates: late 17th-18th century
Dimensions: 43 x 32 1/8in. (109.2 x 81.6cm)
Collections: American Art
Museum Location: This item is on view in Luce Visible Storage and Study Center, 5th Floor
Accession Number: 41.1275.191
Credit Line: Museum Expedition 1941, Frank L. Babbott Fund
Image: Overall, 41.1275.191_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

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ninakuriloff (1)
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AG3 (3)
- enfant
- Jésus
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hynek (2)
- sandals
- lilies
erin_trying (2)
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- patterns
z (3)
- robe
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paul (9)
- tools
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- flowers
- holding hands
- jesus
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- joseph
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- carpentry

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