Josefa de Óbidos (Josefa de Ayala Figueira)The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Bap

Josefa de Óbidos (Josefa de Ayala Figueira)The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist, Saint Elizabeth and AngelsOil on copper (Signed and dated: “Josepha: em Obidos. / 1678″)Museu da Misericórdia do Porto, Portugal“This painting on copper dates from the artist’s maturity.  With exquisite detail, and particular attention given to the depiction of the various textiles worn by the figures, Josefa depicts the Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and the Infant Saint John the Baptist.  These figures, all grouped together at right, are set against a wonderfully theatrical vision of angels and cherubim descending from heaven.  Copper was Josefa’s preferred support in the first decades of her career, between 1647 and 1661, after which she painted mainly on canvas and on a larger format.  The present work [is] exceptional in this regard, demonstrating her mature technique, but on a smaller scale and with a miniaturist sense of detail.” (source) -- source link

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