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Central Europe, Austria / Germany / Czechia / Slovakia, Bavaria / Bohemia / Moravia, ca. late 19th century CE. A beautiful reverse glass painting of St. Joseph holding the Christ child surrounded by a floral border, all delineated in hues of blue, yellow, red, beige, brown, green, pink, white, black, gold, silver, and orange. Both dressed in flowing robes, the sacred pair faces one another; Saint Joseph holding his adopted son in his left arm while his right hand grasps his characteristic floral staff and the child raises a branch of flowers over Joseph's head, as though crowning or blessing him. A lustrous silver rectangle below is inscribed "S IOSEPH" for St. Joseph, while alternating rectangles of floral motifs and lustrous gold-hues surround the father and child. Size (without frame): 9" W x 12.2" H (22.9 cm x 31 cm); (with frame): 12.2" W x 15.2" H (31 cm x 38.6 cm)

Reverse glass painting, also known as "verre eglomise" in French or "Hinterglasmalerei" in German, is a centuries-old practice of painting a piece of glass and then viewing it from the other side. The practice has been widely used for sacral paintings since the Medieval period. Most famous for the reverse glass paintings of the Byzantine Empire, the practice spread to Venice, where it influenced Renaissance art, and then became favored by the Church and nobility throughout Central Europe, where it continued as a widely popular folk art through the 19th century.

The cult of Joseph originated during the time of Luther when the Catholic Church was seeking out new heroes to meet the needs of the Counter Reformation. Prior to this time, Joseph was somewhat ignored. The Carmelite Order, under the direction of Saint Theresa, rejuvenated the image of Saint Joseph. Instead of being portrayed as an elderly man who watched over Mary, he grew to be depicted as a virile man in the prime of his life, full of youth and strength, yet portrayed as a gentle man of tenderness as we see in this example.

Provenance: private Morrison, Colorado, USA collection; ex-New England, USA antique gallery

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

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Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#168562

Some loss to pigments. Otherwise, excellent with impressive remaining detail. Fit with modern frame with some nicks and chips to areas. Suspension wire on verso.