Power of God

King Felipe IV who, according to tradition, when he saw the Raphael’s painting it exclaimed “Here is the pearl of my paintings!”,

Raphael
Holy Family, called “THE PEARL” 1518
Oil on wood 147.4 cm x 116 cm
Prado Museum, Madrid
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The Holy Family , called ” La Perla ” represents the Virgin Mary, the Child, Saint John and Saint Anne . The Child sits between the knees of his mother, whom he looks at with a half-profile smile, and rests his left foot on a wicker crib. San Juanito stands in front of the Child and offers him some fruits inside his coat, while the Virgin contemplates the scene with a sweet expression. Saint AnaKneeling behind the Child, she maintains an attitude of meditation, with her eyes closed, wrapped in her daughter’s embrace. In the background, on the right side, a landscape opens up with ruined buildings, a bridge over a river and small figures, while on the left, behind a window opening, Saint Joseph appears. In the foreground, vegetation, stones and a seashell.

This is a late work by the artist in which Leonardo’s influence is evident after his reunion in Rome between 1513 and 1516, especially evident in the pyramidal arrangement of the figures and the light contrasts. Taking into account these style characteristics, the generally accepted date for its creation would be around 1518.

According to Vasari , it was painted for Count Ludovico Canossa, Bishop of Bayeux . In 1604, his descendant Galeazzo Canossa gave it to Vincenzo Gonzaga , Duke of Mantua, and in 1627 it was bought by Charles I of England along with other works of the family. After the beheading of the English king, it passed into the hands of one of his creditors, Edward Bass, from whom Alonso de Cárdenas bought it on behalf of Don Luis de Haro . The latter gives it to King Felipe IV who, according to tradition, when he saw it exclaimed “Here is the pearl of my paintings!”, Which would justify the nickname ” La Perla ” with which it has been cited in various inventories since then.