The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist

Artist: Attributed to Francesco Brizio (1574–1623)
Date: Early 17th century
Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 94.5 x 74.5 cm (unframed)
Dimensions with frame 119cm x 94cm.
Frame: Early 17th-century a cassetta frame, repainted, with heraldic emblems possibly of the Este family (?)
Condition: Overall good, with minor abrasions


Francesco Brizio stands at a stylistic crossroads, blending Carraccesque classicism, naturalism, the last echoes of Mannerism, and a grotesque quality shaped by his experience as an engraver. In this painting, these elements coexist and intertwine: the monumental composition recalls Bolognese traditions, but the rendering of faces and gestures introduces a sharper expressiveness.

The Virgin’s face, soft and naturally modeled, appears as a point of balance between these influences. In contrast, the young Saint John the Baptist exhibits a grotesque deformation, with slightly exaggerated proportions and an almost caricature-like expression.

The influence of Correggio’s Madonna della Scodella (Galleria Nazionale, Parma) is evident in the composition and specific iconographic details. Saint Joseph’s gesture, with his unnaturally bent arm reaching for the palm tree, is a direct reference to Correggio’s work. However, here the movement is stiffer, with an exaggerated torsion that reflects Brizio’s engraver’s mindset.

The palm tree in the background, a symbol of the Flight into Egypt, is borrowed from the Parmesan tradition.

The canvas is in good overall condition, with some minor abrasions. The colors remain vivid, with strong contrasts between the drapery and the darker background.

The a cassetta frame, early 17th century, retains heraldic emblems possibly linked to the Este family (?).

The painting represents a fascinating synthesis of influences, where Brizio reworks Correggio’s softness through the lens of a Carraccesque structure and his own graphic sensibility.

By referencing Madonna della Scodella, Brizio does not simply quote Correggio but transforms his language, adapting its fluidity into a sharper, more structured rhythm. This approach, shaped by his experience as an engraver, results in a unique blend of compositional solidity and expressive distortion, making this work a distinctive testimony to the evolution of Emilian painting in the early 17th century.