Workshop Of Polidoro De Renzi (1515 Ca - 1565), Holy Family

Workshop of Polidoro de Renzi (Lanciano, 1515 ca - Venice, 1565)

Holy Family with Saint John

Oil on canvas, cm 90 x 88

Polidoro de' Renzi was born in 1515 ca. in the town of Abruzzo from which it takes its name, Polidoro da Lanciano.

There is not much information about the first years of life of Polidoro. We know that his father was a ceramist and he moved to Venice, which became the center of his artistic activity. In Venice, Polidoro came into contact with the great masters of the Venetian Renaissance, such as Titian and Tintoretto. Although there is no documentary evidence of his direct training in their shops, his work clearly reveals the influence of these art giants.

Polidoro’s style is characterized by a remarkable eclecticism. In his works we can see echoes of the classicism, mannerist culture and formal innovations of his contemporaries.

The work of Polidoro da Lanciano is characterized by a great variety of subjects, ranging from sacred to mythological painting. His most famous works include: The Banquet of the Gods:, now preserved at the Museum of Capodimonte in Naples; Christ and the adulterer, n biblical subject very widespread in Renaissance art, of which Polidoro realized several versions and the Descent of the Holy Spirit; an altarpiece clearly showing the influence of Bonifacio Veronese, preserved at the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice.

The painting in question, which portrays the Holy Family with St John, fits perfectly into the context of the pictorial production of Polidoro da Lanciano. The composition, characterized by the typical curtain that opens on a landscape and the diagonal that guides the gaze towards the Virgin, is a recurring element in his production.