The Holy Family, or 'The Pearl'

Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio)

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Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio)

Urbino (Italy), 1483 - Rome (Italy), 1520

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The Holy Family, or 'The Pearl'

Ca. 1518. Oil on panel.
Room 049

The Holy Family, known as ‘The Pearl’, depicts the Virgin Mary, Child Jesus, Saint John, and Saint Anne. The Holy Child sits between his mother´s knees, looking at her with a half-smile, while resting his left foot on a wicker cradle. Saint John stands in front of him and offers him some fruit from his fur cloak, while the Virgin gazes at the scene with a sweet expression. Saint Anne, kneeling behind the Child, looks meditative. Her eyes are closed, and her daughter wraps her in an embrace. In the background, on the right, there is a landscape with ruined buildings, a bridge over a river and small figures. Meanwhile on the left, behind the opening of a window, Saint Joseph appears. In the foreground, there is vegetation, stones, and a seashell.

This is a late work by the artist, in which the influence of Leonardo is evident following their meeting in Rome between 1513 and 1516. This is particularly noticeable in the pyramidal arrangement of the figures and the light contrasts. Given these stylistic characteristics, the generally accepted date for its creation is around 1518.

The underlying drawing is very plentiful and well-defined. In the lower and central area, where the group of figures appear, there is a grid that delimits spaces of about 11cm on each side. This measurement curiously coincides with the oval of the Virgin´s face. This seems to indicate that the unit chosen for the scale transfer was precisely this face, the only one that is not crossed by the lines of the grid. The existence of this grid indicates that the present composition is based on a previous drawing that has not survived. It may not have been complete and have contained only the core group.

The final composition shows several changes with respect to the preparatory drawing. The present painting broadly follows the outlines and characteristics of the drawing, but it is easy to detect various details that have been corrected or even significantly modified. The in-depth analysis of the work reveals the existence of an earlier version of the composition below the present one. This is much closer to the drawing which the reflectography shows. Thus, it is possible to distinguish two phases in the pictorial execution. The first one is very faithful to the preparatory drawing, while the later one substantially changes the appearance of the work. The modifications made during the second phase aimed to give the work a different appearance, reducing its serenity in order to create greater tension: the Virgin´s head becomes sharper, the hair of the children is made curly, the folds grow more complicated and the lights and shadows are intensified. The landscape also changes; the X-radiograph shows that the right-hand side had an opening and was generally brighter.

It is impossible to discern with certainty the participation of Raphael and/or his workshop in each of the phases, although it seems clear that the drawing does belong to the master. The first painting is more classical and similar to what he had done previously, while the second is closer to the aesthetic that would later develop in Italian art.

According to Vasari, the artist painted it for Count Ludovico Canossa, Bishop of Bayeux. In 1604, his descendant Galeazzo Canossa gave it to Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua. In 1627, Charles I of England bought it along with other works of the family. After the beheading of the English king, it passed into the hands of one of his creditors, Edward Bass. Then, Alonso de Cárdenas bought it on behalf of Don Luis de Haro. The latter gave it as a gift to King Philip IV who, according to tradition, exclaimed ‘Here is the pearl of my paintings’ when he saw it. This would account for the nickname of ‘The Pearl’, with which it has been cited in several inventories since then. The king sent it to El Escorial, where it remained until shortly before its transfer by French troops to Paris in 1813. It was returned to the monastery in 1818 and it entered the Museo del Prado in 1857.

Jover de Celis, Maite, 'Rafael. Sagrada Familia, llamada la Perla'. G.Finaldi y C.Garrido. El trazo oculto. Dibujos subyacentes en pinturas de los siglos XV y XVI, Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado, 2006, p.148-157 nº8

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Two Visitations: Pontormo and Raphael at the Prado

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Rafaellino del Colle and Giulio Romano

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Gianfrancesco Penni: designs for overlooked panel paintings

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Leonardo and Raphael, circa 1513-16

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Inventory number: P000301
Author: Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio)
Title: The Holy Family, or 'The Pearl'
Date: Ca. 1518
Technique: Oil
Support: Panel
Dimension: Height: 147.4 cm; Width: 116 cm; Depth: 2.8 cm
Provenance: Ludovico Canossa, Bishop of Bayeux; Collection Gonzaga, 1604-1627; King Charles I, 1627- 1649; Commonwealth Sale (Charles I´s collection), 1649; Edward Bass, 1649-1653; acquired by Alonso de Cárdenas for Felipe IV, 1653; Royal Collection (Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid, “sacristía del Escorial, bajo el Crucifijo de Pietro Tacca”, 1656; New Royal Palace, Madrid, “pieza verde de chimenea”, 1794, s.n.; La Granja de San Ildefonso Palace, Segovia, 1809; France,1813; Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid, 1818; Prado Museum, 1857)
Entry date: 1857

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Other inventories +

Inv. Testamentaría Carlos III, Palacio Nuevo, 1794. Núm. s. n..
Pieza Berde de Chimª. [...] [289] Otro [quadro] igual [siete quartas de alto y vara y tercia de largo]. Nuestra Señora con el Niño Jesus, Sn Juan y Stª Ysabel: Yd. [Rafael] ... 60.000

Catálogo Museo del Prado, 1854-1858. Núm. 726.

Inv. Real Museo, 1857. Núm. 726.
Rafael de Urbino. / 726. Sacra familia, vulgarmente llamada La perla. / La Virgen tiene con una mano al niño, que esta medio sentado sobre una de sus rodillas, teniendo la pierna izquierda apoyada en la cuna. San Juan le ofrece en su pellica varias frutas, que el niño va a tomar, mirando al mismo tiempo con sonrisa a su madre como para pedirla permiso. Esta le contempla amorosamente, y tiene el brazo izquierdo apoyado sobre la espalda de Santa Ana, que esta arrodillada junto a ella como embebida de una agradable meditacion. Fondo: pais con ruinas, por entre las cuales se ve a San José [...]

Catálogo Museo del Prado, 1872-1907. Núm. 369.

Catálogo Museo del Prado, 1910. Núm. 301.

Catálogo Museo del Prado, 1942-1996. Núm. 301.