St. Joseph with the Child

The cult of St. Joseph, the Lord’s Guardian, culminated in the 17th century and the configuration with the Child in his arms subsequently became a completely conventional motif. However, Piazzetta based his composition on distinct tenebrism, which he cut through with an originally led sacral shaft of light. The subject was shifted to a more profound level of significance, referring to the Holy Trinity. The gesture of the Child related the painting to an unknown altarpiece, for which it was conceived as an extension.