Holy Family with a Female Saint (Mantegna)

The Holy Family with a Female Saint is a 1495–1505 tempera on canvas painting attributed to Andrea Mantegna - the lose of the original finish and re-painting means that the painting itself cannot be securely attributed to him, though the silverpoint under-drawing is definitely in the master's hand. To the left is saint Joseph and to the right is an unidentified female saint, possibly Mary Magdalene.[1]

Sacra famiglia con una santa
ArtistAndrea Mantegna
Year1495-1505
Mediumtempera on canvas
Dimensions76 cm × 55,5 cm (30 in × 219 in)
LocationMuseo di Castelvecchio, Verona

It is now in the Museo di Castelvecchio in Verona, from which it was stolen on the evening of 19 November 2015 along with sixteen other works.[2] They were found near Odessa in Ukraine on 6 May the following year, from which they were about to be sold on into Ukraine and Russia.[3] They were returned to the museum later in 2016[4]

History edit

Marco Boschini saw a Mantegna Holy Family in the sacristy of the Ospedale degli Incurabili in Venice in the 17th century, which was either this work or the Altman Madonna.

References edit

  1. ^ (in Italian) Alberta De Nicolò Salmazo, Mantegna, Electa, Milano 1997.
  2. ^ 20-11-2015
  3. ^ Il Sole
  4. ^ 21-12-2016