The Holy Family or The Pearl. Raphael

This painting shows the Virgin Mary, Baby Jesus, Infant Saint John, and Saint Anne.

Saint Joseph is also present in the background.

Together, they form the Holy Family.

Raphael and Giulio Romano, his apprentice, are the authors of this painting

Baby Jesus is in the centre of the painting.

He sits on the lap of the Virgin Mary,wearing blue and pink.

He rests his left foot on a wicker cradle and smiles at his mother.

The Infant Saint John is the cousin of Baby Jesus.

Saint John is the child that stands and offers fruit to Baby Jesus.

The Virgin Mary observes the scene with a sweet expression on her face.

She embraces her mother, Saint Anne.

Saint Anne is behind Baby Jesus, and her eyes are closed.

There are 2 scenes in the background of the painting.

On the right is a landscape with ruins, a bridge over the river, and several people strolling.

On the left, we see Saint Joseph through a window.

Raphael is one of the most important Italian painters of the Italian Renaissance.

The Renaissance is an art style from the 15 and 16 centuries in which artists explored ancient Greek and Roman themes

In his paintings, Raphael emphasises the sweetness of faces and gestures, the importance of landscapes and the play of light and shadow.

Before painting this picture, Raphael met the painter Leonardo da Vinci in Rome.

This painting has characteristics of the style of Leonardo, for example, the triangular shape created by the figures in the painting.