Bowdoin College Museum of Art | - The Holy Family with Saint John (recto)

Preview image of work. red chalk over black chalk on paper, The Holy Family with Saint John (recto) 29266

1811.9.a

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The Holy Family with Saint John (recto)

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Artist

Francesco Vanni (Siena, Italy, 1563 - 1610, Siena, Italy)

Title

The Holy Family with Saint John (recto)

Creation Date

1584-1610

Century

16th-17th century

Dimensions

7 in. x 5 1/4 in. (17.78 cm. x 13.4 cm.)

Object Type

drawing

Creation Place

Europe, Italy

Medium and Support

red chalk over black chalk on paper

Credit Line

Bequest of the Honorable James Bowdoin III

Copyright

Public Domain

Accession Number

1811.9.a

This double-sided drawing experiments with different compositions of one of the most beloved figurative groups in Italian art, the Madonna and Child. While the recto presents an intimate scene that brings together Jesus and Saint John in their infancy, with Mary thoughtfully providing motherly support, the verso focuses on Mary and her child alone. The appeal of the scenes is obvious, each compositional nuance translates into a slightly different emotional (and theological) balance between motherly love, a child’s affection, and the anticipation of Christ’s sacrifice. As Bowdoin Professor Susan Wegner demonstrated, Vanni’s rapid sketch relates to a group of small paintings of the Madonna that Vanni created around 1600. The Sienese artist most likely filled a larger sheet with such drawings, from which the exhibited detail was cut off.