The Holy Family with a Donor in a Landscape

About the Art

In Europe during the 1500s and 1600s, wealthy individuals often highlighted their devotion by commissioning religious paintings that included their likeness within the scene, preserving a visual record of their piety. This painting depicts the holy family—Jesus, Mary and Joseph who holds a staff—while the fourth figure holding his hands in prayer is the patron.

Sfumato is an oil painting technique featuring gradual transition from one hue to another and is particularly effective in creating atmospheric effects. Advocated by Leonardo da Vinci, Bissolo was one of many artists who continued to advance the technique, as seen here in a painting made less than 20 years after Leonardo’s Mona Lisa.

FEATURED IMAGE
Pier Francesco Bissolo (Italian, active 1492–1554), The Holy Family with a Donor in a Landscape, early 1520s, oil on wood, 31 1/2 x 39 3/4 inches (80 x 101 cm). Museum purchase with funds provided by the John Berry Family, the James F. Dicke Family and the Deaccessioned Works of Art Fund, 1998.41