The Holy Family with God the Father and the Holy Spirit
by DOLCI, Carlo, Oil on copper, 28 x 23 cm
The subject of this painting is unusual, a variation on the traditional theme of the Sacra Conversazione, a venerable one among Florentine painters. In this representation, the mature Christ is shown between the Virgin and his father St Joseph. He gazes upward at the Holy Spirit and above him God the Father. The combination of the figures, therefore, void of other extraneous saints, represents the “Celestial” and “Terrestrial” Trinities together.
Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 3 minutes):
Girolamo Frescobaldi: Ricercar No. 8