View source for Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist (Mantegna)

{{Short description|Painting attributed to Andrea Mantegna}}
{{infobox artwork
| image=Mantegna, Sacra Famiglia con san Giovannino, londra.jpg
| title=Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist
| artist=[[Andrea Mantegna]]
| year= 1500
| medium=tempera on canvas
|height_metric=71
|width_metric=50.5
|city=[[London]]
|museum=[[National Gallery]]
}}
'''''The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist''''' is a tempera on canvas painting measuring 71&nbsp;cm by 50.5&nbsp;cm.<ref>{{in lang|it}}Ettore Camesasca, ''Mantegna'', in AA.VV., ''Pittori del Rinascimento'', Scala, Firenze 2007. {{ISBN|888117099X}}</ref> It is attributed to [[Andrea Mantegna]], dated to around 1500 and now held in the [[National Gallery, London]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/andrea-mantegna-the-holy-family-with-saint-john|title=Catalogue page}}</ref> Due to its poor conservation, the autograph is unclear, so some scholars do not directly attribute it to Mantegna. Though, those that do argue its idea and format definitely refer to autographed works by him.
The parapet on which the Christ Child and the infant [[John the Baptist]] stand also encloses the [[Virgin mary|Virgin Mary]]. Its referring to the [[Immaculate Conception]] of Jesus and the [[hortus conclusus]] of her virginity. John holds a scroll and points to Christ, who holds a sphere representing his earthly power. In the background is [[saint Joseph]] in a red cloak.
==History==
The Madonna and Child in the work are identical to those in Mantegna's ''[[Holy Family with Christ as Imperator mundi]]'' in the [[Petit Palais]] in [[Paris]]. He produced several similar small-format works for private devotion during this period, of which the best is perhaps the ''[[Holy Family with Saints Anne and John the Baptist (Mantegna)|Holy Family with Saints Anne and John the Baptist]]'' (Dresden), though the London work's background of fruit and foliage is also reminiscent of his ''[[Madonna della Vittoria]]'' (1496) and his [[Altman Madonna]] (c.1495-1505).
==References==
<references/>
{{Andrea Mantegna}}
[[Category:Paintings by Andrea Mantegna]]
[[Category:1500 paintings]]
[[Category:Paintings in the National Gallery, London]]
[[Category:Paintings of the Holy Family]]
[[Category:Paintings of John the Baptist]]