The Holy Family with Saint Joachim, Saint Anne, Zechariah, Saint Elizabeth, and the Infant Saint John the Baptist
1630 - 1638.Not on display
Preparatory drawing for a painting of the same subject, now held in a private collection in London but previously in Madrid at the end of the 19th century in the possession of the general Quesada. In this work, the Child sleeps on the lap of his mother, who holds him tenderly. The Virgin is depicted alongside Saint Joseph, with Saint Joachim and Saint Anne completing the scene to the left. Zechariah, Saint Elizabeth and the Infant Saint John the Baptist with the lamb are represented to the right. The latter’s head is turned to gaze at the viewer, directing his attention towards the main scene. In the drawing, executed in black pencil with rapid and nervous strokes, the artist repeatedly studied each figure. He then defined the outlines with more marked strokes, work that was hidden under the dense layers of brown wash and white lead that he applied afterwards. Typical of his work, Carducho used the colour of the paper to define the lights, while the thick brown wash was employed to mark the rounded volumes of the figures. With the white lead, he achieved interesting effects, including the detail of the semi-transparent fabric covering the child, skilfully resolved by means of rapid and concise brushstrokes. A particular feature that stands out in this sketch is the execution of the faces, barely sketched in pencil and given expression with the brush and ink wash. The composition remained unchanged when it was transferred to canvas, with the exception of the still life that appears in the painting at the foot of Saint Anne but not on the sheet.
Pascual Chenel, Á.; Rodríguez Rebollo, A., Vicente Carducho. Dibujos Catálogo razonado, Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional de España - Centro de Estudios Europa Hispánica, 2015, p.284-289 [288-289 n.60.1]
