Antique painting depicting Saint Joseph with a flowering staff and the Baby Jesus, a splendid example of devotional and folk painting.
The work, dating back to the late 18th century / early 19th century, stands out for its naive and provincial style rich in expressiveness, characterized by the traditional flowering staff and the marked facial features typical of workshops in central/southern Italy.
The flowering rod (the staff): The detail derives from the apocryphal Gospels (specifically the Protoevangelium of James). According to the story, Mary's suitors left their staffs in the temple and only Joseph's miraculously bloomed, indicating him as the spouse chosen by God. The work shows an interesting little peculiarity: usually, only white lilies, a symbol of purity, bloom on Saint Joseph's staff. In this specific painting, the artist chose to depict an actual bouquet of colorful yellow, pink, red, and white flowers.
Dimensions: 53 x 69 cm
The painting is in its original condition. Micro-losses of paint are visible on the front. The back of the canvas shows some stains due to age. The canvas has been remounted on a sturdy, later wooden stretcher equipped with keys for tensioning. Structurally, the canvas is sound.
