The Family of the Virgin – Musée des Beaux-Arts – Marseille
The work, which dates back to about 1500/1502, shows the family of Mary, who is at the center of the composition, sitting on a throne strongly raised on a high base; Baby Jesus is gently lying on her knees, while Saint Anne, Mary’s mother, is standing behind her dressed in a dark cloak, her hands resting on her daughter’s shoulders in a gesture of sweet maternal protection.
The throne, built as a real architectural element, is majestic and stands at the center of the room, filling the vertical space throughout the height of the table. Moreover, just below the cornice on which rests the projecting foot of Mary, it is also possible to read the painter’s signature: PETRUS DE CHASTRO PLEBIS PINXIT.
The central group is surrounded by ten figures: starting from the left, we find Joseph, the little Joseph of Arimathea, Mary of Cleophas holding Jacob the Less, Simon and Thaddeus (seated on the steps at the base of the throne), Mary Salome, wife of Zebedee, with the child John Baptist held in her arms, the young Jacob the Eldest and finally Joachim. All the characters are easily recognizable thanks to the auroleas, which surround their heads and shows the name of each one.
The scene takes place in a closed environment on the sides and covered by a barrel vault; in the background there is a round arch, supported by strong pillars, which allows a glimpse of a gentle hilly landscape shaded towards the horizon.
The painting, originally commissioned by Angelo di Tommaso di Conti to adorn his private chapel in the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Perugia, is currently preserved at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Marseille.
