The Holy Family With The Young Saint John And Angels

In terms of style and quality, the work can be linked to the circle of Palma the Younger (Jacopo Negretti, 1548–1628), a prolific Venetian master active at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, who made extensive use of copper panels for small- and medium-sized devotional works. The vigorous rendering of Saint Joseph and the gentleness of the female faces are reminiscent of iconographic conventions popularized by his workshop and by contemporary artists in northern Italy
The painting depicts the Virgin Mary with the Infant Jesus in the act of blessing the infant Saint John, recognizable by the small lamb beside him and his characteristic scroll. Beside them appear Saint Joseph, depicted as an elderly patriarch, and Saint Anne. In the background, two angels hold a scroll, completing the composition.

The work is executed on a copper plate, a rare and valuable medium that allows for fine brushwork and brilliant, long-lasting colors. The rich drapery, the intense facial expressions, and the compositional style reveal a late-Mannerist style with Venetian influences.