Over the next few weeks throughout Advent, I will be introducing you to some classic paintings relating to the Nativity story. These are some of my favorites with personal comments on each. This first one is called ‘Sagrada Família’ painted in 1664 by Josefa de Óbidos, for the Santa Cruz de Buçaco Convent in Portugal and sadly was lost in a small fire on December 24, 2013. The painting shows the Holy Family with 5 angels in the background. Baby Jesus is held by his mother as he touches her breast, ready to feed Him. You can also see the spray of milk from Mary’s nipple. These images of the Lactans Maria (Nursing Mary) were very popular in the 16th and 17th century. Yet Jesus is looking towards His father Joseph who holds the cross, as Jesus touches it, as if to anticipate the way He would end His life on earth 33 years later. So here we have a dramatic contrast between life and death, the beginning and the end of our Savior. As He holds onto life, touching the nursing breast of Mary, He looks towards the cross, the symbol of suffering and death. Approximately 150 works of art have been attributed to Josefa de Óbidos, making her one of the most prolific Baroque artists in Portugal. In the course of her career, Josefa de Óbidos received many important public commissions for altarpieces and other paintings to be displayed in churches and monasteries throughout central Portugal. She also painted many still-life works with flowers and sweets.
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