Sebastiano del Piombo
The Holy Family

1526
Oil on canvas
Presentation Chapel, Burgos Cathedral

Piombo has for the most part taken his iconography from Madonna and Child paintings: the figure of Mary in her blue mantle dominates the center of the painting, the angels bring her a crown, the boy holds a globe and blesses the viewer. But if one looks closely Joseph can be seen in the dimness behind the globe, making this painting an early example of the Holy Family iconographic type.

It is also an early example of the 16th century's retreat from the practice of showing the boy's genitals, if only by covering them with a length of nearly transparent cloth.

Read more about the Holy Family.

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• Iconography of the Holy Family
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Photographed at the cathedral by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.