Skip to Main Content

Artwork Page for The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Margaret

Details / Information for The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Margaret

The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Margaret

c. 1488–93
(Italian, c. 1457–1504)
Italy
tempera and oil on wood
Framed: 184 x 186 x 9.5 cm (72 7/16 x 73 1/4 x 3 3/4 in.); Diameter: 153 cm (60 1/4 in.)
The Delia E. Holden Fund and a fund donated as a memorial to Mrs. Holden by her children: Guerden S. Holden, Delia Holden White, Roberta Holden Bole, Emery Holden Greenough, Gertrude Holden McGinley 1932.227
Location: not on view
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Download, Print and Share

Print

Did You Know?

This type of painting is known as a tondo, a circular work of art.

Description

Lippi’s sophisticated composition gracefully overlaps five figures in a round format. Oliviero Carafa, Cardinal of Naples, commissioned this work, although Lippi probably painted it in Rome while working for the cardinal’s family, an example of the widespread taste across Italy for the art of Florence. Meticulously detailed still-life elements on the parapet, thick with symbolic meaning, reflect Lippi’s interest in northern European painting he would have seen in Florence. Likewise the classical architecture—referring to the pagan world cast off by Christianity—demonstrates his engagement with ancient art and architecture in Rome. Embellished with learned references and made with expensive materials, this painting would have actively inspired religious meditation and demonstrated the patrons’ courtly, civilized taste.
A circular painting of five people sitting outside with a city with classical architecture in the background. From our left side of the painting, there is a man with a medium skin tone, a woman with a light skin tone holding a baby with a light skin tone, and a child with a light skin tone being held by another woman with a light skin tone. The baby has a golden halo over his head and everyone is looking towards him as he and the child embrace.

The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Margaret

c. 1488–93

Filippino Lippi

(Italian, c. 1457–1504)
Italy

See Also

  • Collection
    Renaissance
  • Department
    Medieval Art
  • Type of artwork
    Painting
  • Medium
    Tempera on wood
  • Credit line
    The Delia E. Holden Fund and a Fund Donated as a Memorial to Mrs. Holden by Her Children: Guerden S. Holden, Delia Holden White, Roberta Holden Bole, Emery Holden Greenough, Gertrude Holden Mcginley

Videos

The Holy Family

Why is This Painting Round?

The Artist, Filippino Lippi

Visually Similar by AI

    CMA Store

    The Creation of Adam (Set of 2) • Enamel Pins
    0.7" x 1.2" (Left) 0.8" x 1.2" (Right) Soft Enamel Pin Single Posted Rubber Clasps Inspired by "The Creation of Adam" by Michelangelo Michelangelo’s (1475-1564) iconic fresco "The Creation of Adam" (c. 1512) is one of the many scenes painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, a foundational work of High Renaissance art. The central scene depicts an integral moment in the Book of Genesis, where God gives life to Adam, and is one of the most replicated works of art. This spark of life centers on the almost touch of the two figures, both straining to reach the other with elongated pointer fingers, creating a new, more intimate portrait of God, accessible to humankind both spatially and in representation. Comes packaged with Pin Museum branded backer card, and a protective polybag.
    The Creation of Adam (Set of 2) • Enamel Pins
    Small Sword Poster
    In the eighteenth century, the smallsword was designed to be a light, quick weapon. Like the rapier, it was carried by unarmored noblemen. As decorative works, smallswords represent the final stage in the evolution of the sword. This poster pictures one of many on display in the Cleveland Museum of Arts Armor Gallery. Size: 36" x 24"
    Small Sword Poster
    Riemenschneider and Late Medieval Alabaster
    by Gerhard Lutz, Curator of Medieval Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art At the center of this publication is Tilman Riemenschneider’s Saint Jerome and the Lion, one of the masterpieces of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Riemenschneider’s Saint Jerome is not only one of the artist’s more important early masterpieces, it is also his only alabaster work in a collection in the USA. Said to have come from the Benedictine abbey church of Saint Peter in Erfurt, Germany, this sculpture by Tilman Riemenschneider (c. 1460–1531), dated to c. 1495, depicts the church father Saint Jerome as he removes a thorn from the paw of a lion, a legendary account of the saint’s kindness. Following the common iconography of the scene, Jerome is dressed in the traditional robes of a Roman cardinal, with the cowl draped over his tonsured head and the broad-brimmed hat on his right leg. Traces of polychromy and gilding suggest that it was once brightly colored. Drill holes in the hat further indicate that cords and tassels of fabric, typical of a cardinal’s hat, would once have decorated the sculpture. Whether the statue was originally commissioned for an altar in a private chapel or smaller space in the monastery remains unknown. Alabaster was prized for its luster and capacity for fine details from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century. The gleaming stone was used for altarpieces and small sculptures, as well as the tombs of wealthy princes. The book unites works from the medieval collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art and selected masterworks from North American museums and the Louvre in Paris, which allows insight into the characteristics of alabaster sculptures in this period. It is striking that these works are of such a particularly exquisite quality that this material was used especially for high-ranking commissions, such as the tomb of Duke Philip the Bold of Burgundy in Champmol near Dijon. The book is accompanied by several essays that examine the subject of alabaster sculpture from different perspectives. Published March 2023 180 pages with 158 images
    Riemenschneider and Late Medieval Alabaster
    The Birth of Venus • Enamel Pin
    3.1" x 1.94" Large Soft Enamel Pin Double Posted Rubber Clasps Inspired by "The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli One of the most famous works of art from the Italian Renaissance, Sandro Botticelli’s (c. 1445-1510) "Birth of Venus" (c. 1484-1486) depicts the Roman goddess Venus shortly after her birth. She is represented as having just emerged from the water, now resting on a large scallop shell. The god Zephyrus floats above her, blowing the wind that pushes her to shore while he carries the nymph Chloris, and the goddess of Spring waits on the land to welcome her. The painting’s emphasis on Venus’s long flowing hair and classically-inspired pose highlights both Botticelli’s interest in contemporary beauty trends and the larger Renaissance interest in classical antiquity. Comes packaged with Pin Museum branded backer card, and a protective polybag.
    The Birth of Venus • Enamel Pin

    Contact us

    The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

    To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

    All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.