The Holy Family di Parte Guelfa

The Holy Family, also known as The Holy Family di Parte Guelfa, is one of Luca Signorelli's earliest treatments of a Holy Family in the circular format known as the tondo. Joseph, the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child appear together, and a book placed among the figures points to learning and reading. The painting takes its name from the Palazzo di Parte Guelfa in Florence, the building it was made for and where it stayed for centuries in the council chamber. Its dating is not settled: the catalogue entry gives 1480, while other references place it around 1490. Sources also differ on the medium, with some describing tempera on panel rather than oil. Vasari mentions it in his Lives of the Artists, which suggests it was admired early on. It only reached the Uffizi in 1802, although the move had been authorised two years earlier. What stands out is how Signorelli arranges the figures within the circle, creating a compact and carefully balanced group.

Painter

Luca Signorelli

Date

1480

Medium

oil paint, panel

Museum

Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Genre

religious art

Depicts

Saint Joseph, boy, Mary, woman, book, Holy Family, Christ Child

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