William Blake, The Holy Family (Christ in the Lap of Truth)
Severance Fund, 1950.239 · The Cleveland Museum of Art, Open Access (CC0)View original →
William Blake

The Holy Family (Christ in the Lap of Truth)

c. 1805

Current Collection

Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Medium
black, gray, and brown ink applied with pen and point of brush; gray, pink, yellow, and green wash
Dimensions
37.9 × 32.5 cm
Status
In Museum Collection
Collect24 Art ID
C24-191593

Although he rejected institutionalized religion, Blake was intensely spiritual, and much of his art was inspired by a highly personal reading of the Bible or by literature based upon it, such as John Milton’s Paradise Lost (1667). The Virgin Mary is centered in this highly stylized composition. Upon her lap she clasps the infant Christ whose outstretched arms foreshadow the Crucifixion. The Mother and Child are flanked by Saint Joseph on the left, and Saint Anne (the Virgin’s mother), on the right. Below, Saint John the Baptist, who foretold Christ’s death and resurrection, plays with a lamb.

Provenance

Severance Fund, 1950.239

Registry history

  • c. 1805 — Recorded in the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art — drawings

Registered on Collect24

The identity of the collector is never published. Purchase information, documents and the exact location of the artwork remain private.

Ownership not yet verified on Collect24

This artwork is documented in the Global Art Registry, but no Collect24 account is linked to it as the owner. Claiming keeps this record and its Collect24 Art ID — nothing is created a second time.

Do you own or represent this artwork? Claim this artwork →

Auction history

Public sale records matched to this work. Ownership is never disclosed.

Loading sale records…