The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist
- Artist: Perino del Vaga
- Date: c. 1528-37
- Medium: oil on panel
- Museum: The Courtauld Gallery
- Collection record: The Courtauld Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is “The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist,” painted by Perino del Vaga around 1528‑37. The first thing you’ll notice is that it feels like a window into a work in progress. The Virgin’s face is only a pencil study—she’s been traced from a separate drawing, giving her expression a sketchy, almost tentative quality. Her drapery, by contrast, is loose and gestural, laid down with a fine brush and ink. You can see how the painter was experimenting with texture and line before committing to a finish. If you look up to the left, a faint ink landscape hints at a more elaborate background that was planned but ultimately abandoned when the composition shifted. The adults’ hands and the children are the only parts that show early modeling in thin layers of oil paint. Those strokes suggest that the artist had started to build volume but hadn’t yet solidified the whole scene. So, while the canvas feels unfinished, it offers a rare glimpse into Perino del Vaga’s creative process—how he moved from delicate pencil studies to bold brushwork, and how the narrative evolved as he worked.
See it in person
The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist hangs in The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
