{"id":4383,"date":"2025-03-24T15:32:18","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T19:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/?p=4383"},"modified":"2025-03-24T15:32:20","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T19:32:20","slug":"after-annibale-carracci-holy-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/after-annibale-carracci-holy-family\/","title":{"rendered":"After Annibale Carracci Holy Family"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kadence-column4383_adeb9a-c1{max-width:100%;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;}.wp-block-kadence-column.kb-section-dir-horizontal:not(.kb-section-md-dir-vertical)>.kt-inside-inner-col>.kadence-column4383_adeb9a-c1{-webkit-flex:0 1 100%;flex:0 1 100%;max-width:unset;margin-left:unset;margin-right:unset;}.kadence-column4383_adeb9a-c1 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column4383_adeb9a-c1 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column4383_adeb9a-c1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column4383_adeb9a-c1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column4383_adeb9a-c1 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column4383_adeb9a-c1 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column4383_adeb9a-c1{position:relative;}@media all and (min-width: 1025px){.wp-block-kadence-column.kb-section-dir-horizontal>.kt-inside-inner-col>.kadence-column4383_adeb9a-c1{-webkit-flex:0 1 100%;flex:0 1 100%;max-width:unset;margin-left:unset;margin-right:unset;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column4383_adeb9a-c1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.wp-block-kadence-column.kb-section-sm-dir-vertical:not(.kb-section-sm-dir-horizontal):not(.kb-section-sm-dir-specificity)>.kt-inside-inner-col>.kadence-column4383_adeb9a-c1{max-width:100%;-webkit-flex:1;flex:1;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;}.kadence-column4383_adeb9a-c1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column4383_adeb9a-c1 mobile-section\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"774\" height=\"114\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/lynch-logo.png\" alt=\"Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch Collection\" class=\"wp-image-2922\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/lynch-logo.png 774w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/lynch-logo-300x44.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/lynch-logo-768x113.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 774px) 100vw, 774px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-4383_1edbd4-3c .kt-block-spacer{height:60px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-4383_1edbd4-3c .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#f1f1f1;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-4383_1edbd4-3c .kt-divider{width:100%!important;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-4383_1edbd4-3c\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><strong>After Annibale Carracci (1560\u20131609)<\/strong><br><em>Holy Family (Montalto Madonna)<\/em>, n.d.<br><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oil on canvas mounted on panel<br>McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College, 1988.85<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/carracci.jpg\" alt=\"Holy Family (Montalto Madonna)\" class=\"wp-image-4384\" style=\"width:1202px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/carracci.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/carracci-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/carracci-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/carracci-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-not-stacked-on-mobile has-background is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"background-color:#f1f1f1\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong>Stephanie C. Leone<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><br>Professor, Art History<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/leone.jpg\" alt=\"Stephanie C. Leone\" class=\"wp-image-4288\" style=\"width:78px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/leone.jpg 200w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/leone-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"912\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/montalto.jpg\" alt=\"Montalto Madonna (Holy Family with Infant John the Baptist)\" class=\"wp-image-4385\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/montalto.jpg 912w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/montalto-228x300.jpg 228w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/montalto-778x1024.jpg 778w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/montalto-768x1011.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 912px) 100vw, 912px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Annibale Carracci,\u00a0<em>Montalto Madonna (Holy Family with Infant John the Baptist)<\/em>, c. 1598\u20131600. Oil on copper, National Gallery, London.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"657\" height=\"925\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/carracci-print.jpg\" alt=\"Montalto Madonna\" class=\"wp-image-4386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/carracci-print.jpg 657w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/carracci-print-213x300.jpg 213w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 657px) 100vw, 657px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cornelis Bloemaert (1603\u201392), after Annibale Carracci,\u00a0<em>Montalto Madonna<\/em>, late 1630s. Engraving, British Museum, London.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p>The&nbsp;<em>Holy Family<\/em>&nbsp;is a reverse copy of a detail of Annibale Carracci\u2019s famous&nbsp;<em>Montalto Madonna<\/em>, c. 1598\u20131600, now in the National Gallery, London<sup>1<\/sup>&nbsp;(see image). Though small and partial, the painting tells the story of Italian art from the High Renaissance in the sixteenth century to the eighteenth-century Grand Tour, as well as the enduring appeal of this classical art tradition in nineteenth-century Boston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In&nbsp;<em>The Lives of the Modern Painters, Sculptors and Architects<\/em>&nbsp;of 1672, Giovan Pietro Bellori extolled Annibale Carracci (1560\u20131609) as the painter who restored Italian art to the ideal, harmonious style established by the celebrated Raphael (1483\u20131520), and he praised the beauty of Carracci\u2019s&nbsp;<em>Holy Family<\/em>, made for Cardinal Alessandro Peretti Montalto. The so-called&nbsp;<em>Montalto Madonna<\/em>&nbsp;represents the robust yet elegant figures of the Virgin Mary and Christ Child, engaged physically and psychologically with the young John the Baptist on the left and Joseph on the right. Grounded in a monumental interior set against a naturalistic landscape, this interconnected and balanced figural group is the perfect blend of earthly domesticity and heavenly grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As an undergraduate at Boston College, Dr. Annie McEwen Maloney \u201914 argued that this type of painting was prized by eighteenth-century Grand Tourists, educated Northern European travelers schooled in ancient history, literature, and art who were eager to see Renaissance art. Because original Raphael and Carracci paintings were rarely for sale, as Bellori said, \u201cthis little picture was copied continuously while it was in the Villa Montalto in Rome, it was already being worn away in the hands of copyists.\u201d<sup>2<\/sup>&nbsp;The McMullen copy could have been made to satisfy the demand for this renowned image. But it was not made directly from the original because the dimensions and colors differ and the composition is reversed. Instead, it might have been made from the engraving by Cornelis Bloemaert (see image).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McEwan\u2019s research determined that unlike the original&nbsp;<em>Montalto Madonna<\/em>, which was eventually acquired by Sir Archibald Campbell of Succoth, Scotland, the McMullen&nbsp;<em>Holy Family<\/em>&nbsp;was not purchased by an English Grand Tourist. Instead, Isabella Curtis of Boston (1832\u20131915) bought the painting in Siena during her Grand Tour in the nineteenth century. In 1912, Isabella and her sister Mary gave the&nbsp;<em>Holy Family<\/em>&nbsp;to Mary Jane Regan (1842\u20131925), librarian of the Boston Athen\u00e6um. A devout Irish Catholic immigrant, Regan must have considered Boston College an appropriate home for the&nbsp;<em>Holy Family<\/em>, which she presumably donated to the University by 1933.<sup>3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ub-divider ub_divider ub-divider-orientation-horizontal\" id=\"ub_divider_12a2f423-1aae-4e99-871e-73773607eb21\"><div class=\"ub_divider_wrapper\" style=\"position: relative; margin-bottom: 2px; width: 100%; height: 2px; \" data-divider-alignment=\"center\"><div class=\"ub_divider_line\" style=\"border-top: 2px solid #ccc; margin-top: 2px; \"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>1. Larry Keith, \u201cAnnibale Carracci\u2019s Montalto Madonna,\u201d&nbsp;<em>National Gallery Technical Bulletin<\/em>&nbsp;29 (2008): 46\u201359.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2. Giovan Pietro Bellori,&nbsp;<em>The Lives of the Modern Painters, Sculptors and Architects<\/em>, ed. H. Wohl and T. Montanari (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005), 101.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3. Eileen Lyons, \u201cMary Jane Regan,\u201d&nbsp;<em>Eire Society of Boston Bulletin<\/em>&nbsp;41 (1982): 1\u20134.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-4383_77ea67-d5 .kt-block-spacer{height:60px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-4383_77ea67-d5 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#f1f1f1;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-4383_77ea67-d5 .kt-divider{width:100%!important;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-4383_77ea67-d5\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"383\" src=\"http:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/mcmullen-logo-gold-1024x383.png\" alt=\"Logo Gold\" class=\"wp-image-2910\" style=\"width:569px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/mcmullen-logo-gold-1024x383.png 1024w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/mcmullen-logo-gold-300x112.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/mcmullen-logo-gold-768x287.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/mcmullen-logo-gold.png 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After Annibale Carracci (1560\u20131609)Holy Family (Montalto Madonna), n.d. Oil on canvas mounted on panelMcMullen Museum of Art, Boston College, 1988.85 Stephanie C. LeoneProfessor, Art History The&nbsp;Holy Family&nbsp;is a reverse copy of a detail of Annibale Carracci\u2019s famous&nbsp;Montalto Madonna, c. 1598\u20131600, now in the National Gallery, London1&nbsp;(see image). Though small and partial, the painting tells the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140560,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"margaret-sandbox","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/author\/margaret-sandbox\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/140560"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4383"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4387,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4383\/revisions\/4387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}