Curatorial Notes
Here, the infant Jesus sits in a central position on the lap of his mother, Mary, with Saint John the Evangelist nearby, holding a golden chalice. The half-length representation of a kneeling woman at the bottom right represents the donor who commissioned the painting, likely for a small church or private chapel. This type of composition, with several figures grouped around the Holy Family and a donor present, is known as a sacra conversazione (sacred conversation) and was popular in 16th-century Italy. Antonio Rimpatta was probably born in Bologna before relocating to Naples. He traveled frequently throughout central Italy, where he absorbed the characteristics of a variety of painters, resulting in an eclectic style.
Artwork Identification
Title The Holy Family with Four Saints and a Female Donor
Title (PT) A Sagrada Família com Quatro Santos e uma Doadora
Title (ES) La Sagrada Familia con cuatro santos y una donante
Artist Antonio Rimpatta
Artist Bio Antonio Rimpatta (Italian, documented from 1509–died 1531/32)
Date c. 1510
Work Type Painting
Location & Collection
Institution Art Institute of Chicago
Source View Museum Page
License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
