The Holy Family with the infant Saint John holding an apple 1620 - 1650

Pietro Testa created this delicate etching, "The Holy Family with the infant Saint John holding an apple" in the 17th century. Testa, working in Baroque Rome, lived in a world steeped in religious tradition. Testa offers us a tender view of domesticity; a young Mary is depicted with Joseph as they care for their children. But look closer, does the apple held by the infant Saint John subtly hint at the forbidden fruit, and the future sacrifice of Christ? During the Baroque period, there was a strong emphasis on creating visually and emotionally compelling works that could inspire religious devotion. This work can be seen as a humanizing depiction of the Holy Family intended to foster a sense of intimacy. Testa was known for his intellectual and theoretical approach to art, so it may also serve as a commentary on the prevailing artistic conventions of his time. Testa tragically died young, perhaps we can see this work as an intimate and personal contemplation on faith, family and mortality.