Wood Plaque - Holy Family with Sts. Anne and Catherine of Alexandria by Museum Art

Artist: Jusepe de Ribera – c. 1648

A masterpiece of the artist’s maturity, this painting combines the naturalism and quality of physical presence associated with Caravaggio with the elevated formal language of Raphael. Spanish by birth, Ribera lived all of his adult life in Rome and Naples, then part of the Spanish Empire. During his early years in Rome, he adopted Caravaggio’s practice of working directly from posed models and this has enabled him to give vibrant presence to figures inhabiting a sacred realm.