The Holy Family (Christ in the Lap of Truth)

black, gray, and brown ink applied with pen and point of brush; gray, pink, yellow, and green washWilliam Blake (British, 1757–1827)/c. 1805

Description

Although he rejected institutionalized religion, Blake was intensely spiritual, and much of his art was inspired by a highly personal reading of the Bible or by literature based upon it, such as John Milton’s Paradise Lost (1667). The Virgin Mary is centered in this highly stylized composition. Upon her lap she clasps the infant Christ whose outstretched arms foreshadow the Crucifixion. The Mother and Child are flanked by Saint Joseph on the left, and Saint Anne (the Virgin’s mother), on the right. Below, Saint John the Baptist, who foretold Christ’s death and resurrection, plays with a lamb.

Provenance

Thomas Butts [1757-1845], London; Thomas Butts Jr.; (his sale, Property of Thomas Butts, Esq., Messrs. Foster and Son, London, June 29, 1853, no. 127, sold to Henry George Bohn); Henry George Bohn [1796-1884], London; Alexander Anderdon Weston [1822-1901; Lugt 65], by descent to his widow; Mrs. Alexander Anderdon Weston; (her anonymous sale, Christie's, London, June 28, 1904, no. 5, sold to E. Parsons); E. Parsons, sold to W. Graham Robertson; W. Graham Robertson [1866-1948], London; (his sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, Ltd., London, July 22, 1949, no. 24, probably sold to Thomas Agnew and Sons, London); (Thomas Agnew and Sons, London, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH); Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Dimensions

37.9 × 32.5 cm

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Movement / Period

Drawings

Accession No

1950.239

Official Citations

[The Cleveland Museum of Art Official Record][Full Resolution Image]

Curatorial Affinity Stream

Continuing the Universe of William Blake (British, 1757–1827)

Drawings • England, London • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries

Continuous Discovery