Holy Family with saints Margaret and Francis Liviania Fontana

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Holy Family with saints Margaret and Francis by Liviania Fontana 1578

Renaissance painter Lavinia Fontana received commissions for portraits, a typical subject matter for women painters, as well as religious and mythological themes. She made great strides in the field of portraiture, which garnered her fame within and beyond Italy. In fact, Fontana is regarded as the first woman artist, working within the same sphere as her male counterparts, outside a court or convent. 

At age 25, Fontana married a fellow painter from a noble family. He functioned as Fontana’s studio assistant and managed their growing household (the couple had 11 children, only three of whom outlived their mother). 

For 20 years beginning in the 1580s, Fontana was the portraitist of choice among Bolognese noblewomen. She also painted likenesses of important individuals connected with the University of Bologna. Fontana’s fame spread to Rome, where she moved in 1604. There she became a portraitist at the court of Pope Paul V and was the recipient of numerous honors, including a bronze portrait medallion cast in 1611 by sculptor and architect Felice Antonio Casoni.

In this painting, the blessed Virgin Mary holds the Child over his golden craddle before Saint Francis and Saint Margaret, who kneels to receive the Child's blessing. Saint Francis on his part, lets St. Margaret to receive first this blessing, as he contemplates the crucifix he carries on most of his depictions. On the back, Saint Joseph leans on his cane, as he witnesses the scene.

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This image is a public domain image, which means either that copyright has expired in the image or the copyright holder has waived their copyright. Franciscan Gallery charges for the access to high resolution copy of the image. Manually restoration was necessary in order to improve quality, without covering the original image.