Saint Joseph and the Christ Child

Nicolaas van der Veken

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In the Baroque era the Jesuits promoted the veneration of Christ's earthly father as an active, youthful parent and regarded him as a model to be imitated by husbands and fathers. Artists were encouraged to help the faithful imagine aspects of Joseph's life missing from the scant descriptions in the Gospels, such as this elegantly tender portrayal of him protecting the Child.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art