The Holy Family with a Lamb 1507

Raphael painted The Holy Family with a Lamb using oil on wood, sometime around 1507, with a precise handling of the age-old medium of oil paint. The jewel-like quality of this small panel comes from the meticulous application of thin, translucent layers of pigment. Raphael built up the forms with incredible delicacy, and in the figures, the softness of the lamb’s fleece contrasts with the solidity of the figures. Oil paint allowed Raphael to blend colors seamlessly, creating a luminous and lifelike quality. Think of the intensive labor that went into the process: from grinding pigments to preparing the wooden support and applying layer upon layer of paint. This reflects the value placed on skilled craftsmanship during the Renaissance, and the status of the artist, as someone who had mastered these techniques through years of dedicated practice. So, next time you look at an oil painting, take a moment to appreciate the immense skill and labor involved in its creation.