id:			126768
accession number:	1949.185
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1949.185
updated:		2022-01-04 15:38:48.136000

Holy Family with a Shepherd, early 1520s. Battista Dossi (Italian, c. 1490-1548). Oil on canvas; unframed: 38.7 x 32 cm (15 1/4 x 12 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Delia E. Holden and L. E. Holden Funds 1949.185

title:				Holy Family with a Shepherd
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			early 1520s
creation date earliest:		1520
creation date latest:		1525
current location:		
creditline:			Delia E. Holden and L. E. Holden Funds
copyright:			

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culture:	Italy, 16th century
technique:	oil on canvas
department:	European Painting and Sculpture
collection:	P - Italian 16th & 17th Century
type:		Painting
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

* Battista Dossi (Italian, c. 1490-1548)  - artist

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measurements: Unframed: 38.7 x 32 cm (15 1/4 x 12 5/8 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		The Venetian Tradition
	opening date:   1956-11-08T05:00:00
	<i>The Venetian Tradition</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (November 8, 1956-January 1, 1957).

	title:		When Angels Bent Near the Earth to Touch Their Harps of Gold: The Christmas Story
	opening date:   1981-12-01T05:00:00
	<i>When Angels Bent Near the Earth to Touch Their Harps of Gold: The Christmas Story</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 1, 1981-January 17, 1982).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

* Fort Wayne Art Schl &amp; Mus. 11/14/55<br>CMA, 1956: "The Venetian Tradition," cat. by Henry S. Francis; cat. no. 11, pl. VII. <br>CMA, December 1, 1981-January 17, 1982: "When Angels Bent Near the Earth To Touch Their Harps of Gold: The Christmas Story," no cat. (Gallery A).

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PROVENANCE

	Private collection. Bologna;
	date: 
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	[Giuseppe Cellini, Rome], sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1949
	date: 
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact: 


digital description: 


wall description: 
In this image of the Holy Family, Joseph and Mary lean in to admire the Christ Child while a shepherd looks on, leaning on his staff. Before executing this painting, Battista visited Rome, including an extensive study of Raphael's works. Afterward, Battista began a second style of painting, seen in the flexible pose of Christ, the small hands of the adult figures, the high foreheads, and each figure looking sideways or upward. The landscape is impressionistic and grainy as mysterious silvery-blue moonlight accents the thickly wooded landscape. Rich reds, browns, and greens color the picturesque landscapes, typical of Battista's second style. This small painting was originally attributed to Battista Dossi's brother, Dosso. Both brothers served as court painters to the Duke Alfonso I of Ferrara. However, the symmetry and vibrant colors of the painting, as well as the facial styles of the figures, characterize the work of Battista Dossi.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Paintings, Part 3: European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 341; Mentioned: p. 340
	url:		

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 84
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1966/page/n108

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 84
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1969/page/n108

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 97
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n117

	The Cleveland Museum of Art.<em> The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Paintings, Part 3: European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982.
	page number: 	Mentioned: p. 340; Reproduced: p. 341
	url:		

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1949.185/1949.185_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1949.185/1949.185_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1949.185/1949.185_full.tif