18th Century - Oil Under Glass - Saint Joseph With The Child

A splendid depiction of Saint Joseph and Child, an 18th-century Neapolitan school oil painting under glass. This rare depiction conveys a feeling of rare joy emerging from the relationship between the two subjects, so rarely seen together in depictions, yet bound by a bond of sincere and unconditional love. Highlights include Joseph's ecstatic gaze, which, through his close relationship with his Son, seems to direct his gaze toward God, while he cradles and protects the Child in a wide, enveloping embrace, enhanced by the virtuosic and flowing drapes. For his part, the Child is a harbinger of light and love; his curly, blond hair shines against the dark background of the painting, while the virtuosic pose and herculean physique, expertly imagined by the painter, convey an ideal of statuesque grandeur. Thus the humble and unconditional affection of the Saint and the light, the greatness, the magnificence of the Child meet and intertwine in a relationship from which each draws and gives the other a value.
The Saint's beard is painted with very fine brushstrokes, while the wrinkles on his face are rendered with more visible brushstrokes to enhance the upward movement of his expression, accentuating his gaze directed toward God. The almost poetic attention to these physical and emotional movements, the expressive and pathetic (though rustic) painting style, the use of dark backgrounds, and this emotional and spiritual tension linked to themes of humble elevation, where Christ's grandeur is elevated not by Mary, not by the Passion, but by the embrace of Saint Joseph, perfectly place this work within the context of Neapolitan Baroque popular culture. The condition is excellent, with numerous bubbles from the glasswork, but without any pictorial damage. With a 19th-century carved and gilded frame, very appropriate for the work. Dimensions: 12 x 9.5 cm (without frame) Dimensions: 14.5 x 12 cm (with frame)