Holy Family with a Rosary, copy after Cantarini
ca. 1640–42 or after
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 5 1/16 × 3 5/16 in. (12.9 × 8.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1926
Accession Number
26.70.4(172)
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate etching, *Holy Family with a Ros*, is a copy after the 17th-century Italian artist Cantarini (16121648), dated around 1640–42 or later. Cantarini, a Bolognese master influenced by the elegant classicism of Guido Reni specialized in religious subjects during the Baroque era. Here, the intimate depiction of the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and likely Saint Joseph gathered with a rosary evokes devotion, a common motif in Catholic art amid the Counter-Reformation's push for popular piety. Etching, the printmaking technique used, involves coating a copper plate with acid-resistant ...
About the Artist
Simone Cantarini · 1612–1648
He was one of the most eminent pupils of Guido Reni and one of the most gifted engravers in the tradition of the Carracci. He had a strong personality and developed a highly original style, which united aspects of Bolognese classicism with a bold naturalism. Comment on works: Religious