Holy Family - SOLD

It is not easy to compete with a famous father who, thanks not only to his skill in painting but also to his entrepreneurial abilities, had created a veritable commercial monopoly with his workshop. Anton Maria Piola, the eldest son of Domenico, was not the natural heir to his father's family business; his father preferred his brother Paolo Gerolamo to lead Casa Piola. A painter briefly dismissed by the biographer Ratti "... he learned painting from his father, and followed his style with excellent similarity" [p. 49], certainly an imitator of his father but so good as to be confused at first glance with him; only a careful reading allows us to identify his own style, certainly conditioned by the strong demand for highly sought-after "copies" of the Master on the market. But his skill is confirmed by Ratti himself: "And Antonio Maria had a great facility in copying the paintings of the most eminent Masters: of which many very beautiful copies bear witness, and some especially of portraits by Van Dyck; which were not long ago sold:" [p. 50] like the portrait of Agostino Pallavicino to name one (replicas of successful paintings were in high demand everywhere!). The fulcrum of the composition in this graceful small canvas is focused on non-verbal communication, transmitted by the exchange of glances and caresses, by the attitudes and movements between mother and son. At the center of the depicted scene we find Mary leaning on the ground holding in her arms the Child Jesus lying on her lap and wrapped in the blue cloak that clothes her, in the background, silent and immersed in darkness, Saint Joseph and two winged cherubs watch the scene. The small size of the painting indicates a private devotional function with a subject, the 'Holy Family,' much requested by patrons. Dimensions: canvas 45 x 30.5 cm