The Death of Saint Joseph
1676 | Carlo Maratta
Under Emperor Leopold I the Habsburg lands were placed under the patronage of St. Joseph. Thus began veneration of scenes from his life for which there are no accounts in the Gospels, such as his glorification in death: Christ approaches the dying saint, offering his blessing, while Mary looks on in devotion. Maratta, the leading figure of the Roman school in the Late Baroque period, created this monumental altarpiece for the chapel of the dowager empress Eleonora Gonzaga, the stepmother of Leopold I, in Vienna’s Hofburg.
Under Emperor Leopold I the Habsburg lands were placed under the patronage of St. Joseph. Thus began veneration of scenes from his life for which there are no accounts in the Gospels, such as his glorification in death: Christ approaches the dying saint, offering his blessing, while Mary looks on in devotion. Maratta, the leading figure of the Roman school in the Late Baroque period, created this monumental altarpiece for the chapel of the dowager empress Eleonora Gonzaga, the stepmother of Leopold I, in Vienna’s Hofburg.
Artist:
Carlo Maratta (1625 Camerano - 1713 Rom) DNB
Time:
1676
Object Name
Painting
Culture
Italian, Roman
Material/technology:
Canvas
Dimensions:
oben halbrund: top semicircular: 368 x 206 cm
Signed
Date on the foot of the bed: 1676
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
Invs.
Gemäldegalerie, 121
Provenance
About the mediation of the legate Cardinal Albrizzi for the Chapel of the Leopoldine Wing (as a foundation).