Italian school of the 18th century.
"Saint Joseph with Child" and "The Virgin of the Rosary".
Pair of oil paintings on glass.
It presents damages.
Measurements: 36 x 31 cm; 49 x 42,5 cm (frame).
Formally, this work denotes certain influence of the Roman-Bolognese classicism, appreciable in the monumentality of the forms and the balanced sensuality, being endowed the figures with idealized faces and serene gestures. It depicts Saint Joseph with the Child and the Virgin of the Rosary. Until the Counter-Reformation, the figure of St Joseph was usually relegated to the background, as no theological importance was attached to him. From Trent onwards, however, his leading role as the protector of Jesus during his childhood and as a guide during his youth was recovered, and he is depicted here as such. In contrast to the tenderness, defencelessness and candour of the infant figure, Saint Joseph is presented as a monumental, typically Baroque figure, an impression that is reinforced by the pyramidal composition of the image. Through this form of representation, the author visually emphasises the decisive role of Jesus' putative father as protector. The iconography of the Virgin of the Rosary is directly related to the figure of Saint Dominic. Tradition, which began in the 15th century, tells us that the mother of God herself taught the saint to pray the rosary in 1208, telling him to propagate this devotion and use it as a powerful weapon against the enemies of the faith. Appearing in the chapel where the saint was praying, holding a rosary in his hand, he taught him to recite it, promising that many sinners would be converted and obtain abundant graces. St. Dominic went out of there full of zeal, with the rosary in his hand. He did indeed preach it, and with great success, bringing many Albingenses back to the Catholic faith.