Mary at center in blue gown, red robe with infant Christ on her lap. Infant looks down on another child in lower right corner. Joseph looks on at both of them from left and behind Mary.
Remainder of title: / LA SAGRADA FAMILIA.
Additional signature information: 152 Nassau St. New York, lower right corner (complete signature line in capitals).
In Christianity, the Holy Family refers to Jesus, the Messiah, Mary, his virgin mother and Saint Joseph his legal father and symbolized the Holy Trinity to many early Christian believers. Believers imbued the family unit with such deep spiritual significance that the Holy Family eventually became an integral part of Roman Catholic religious dogma. Here, Mary is shown at the center with Saint Joseph looking over her shoulder. The infant Jesus takes grapes, a symbol of the wine used at the Last Supper, from a plate offered to him by the child, John the Baptist. Artists, especially those during the Renaissance, enjoyed depicting the Holy Family and the subject was a central theme in the work of Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael.