Artwork Page for The Holy Family with Mary Magdalen

Details / Information for The Holy Family with Mary Magdalen

The Holy Family with Mary Magdalen

c. 1590–1595

El Greco

(Spanish, 1541–1614)
Culture
Spain, 16th century
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
Framed: 160 x 131 x 7.5 cm (63 x 51 9/16 x 2 15/16 in.); Unframed: 130 x 100 cm (51 3/16 x 39 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Friends of The Cleveland Museum of Art in memory of J. H. Wade 1926.247
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
212 Baroque Painting and Sculpture
Print
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Did You Know?

The nearly levitating body of the Christ child further emphasizes the ethereal setting of the Holy Family.

Description

The seemingly weightless figures, the startling color combinations, and the moody, imprecise setting all show El Greco’s interest in conveying the intense spirituality of these figures rather than their concrete reality. Above all, the painting addresses Mary’s role as mediator between Christ and the viewer. She supports her son, but her faraway look indicates awareness of his fate. Mary feeds Jesus fruit held by Joseph that is full of symbolic meaning, with the apple representing the fall of man; cherries, the blood of Christ; peaches, salvation; and pears, the sweetness of Christ’s virtue.
Vertically oriented oil painting depicting the Virgin Mary holding baby Christ and flanked by a man and woman, all with light skin tones and elongated bodies. The man on our left holds out a bowl of fruit to Christ, a yellow fruit passing between Mary and Christ's hands as they both gaze to our left. All wear flowing garments in muted blue, pink, yellow, and orange in front of a sky swirling with grey clouds.

The Holy Family with Mary Magdalen

c. 1590–1595

El Greco

(Spanish, 1541–1614)
Spain, 16th century

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