Holy Family with Saint John

In a barren landscape, the four figures featured in the artwork seem to pause for a moment of rest. Only Saint John is standing, in the act of leaning on the cross that he holds in his hand like a walking stick. The conversation between the characters is emphasised by the gazes that never cross, not even the spectator is involved in witnessing the scene. The painting is a probable early copy of a Holy Family by Andrea del Sarto, a panel now in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the dimensions of which are indeed very similar, while the two versions differ in terms of colour. In the artwork exhibited here, the colours are amber and play on reddish tones, with modular chiaroscuro effects.