Christ in the House of His Parents
Christ in the House of His Parents (1849–50) is a painting by John Everett Millais depicting the Holy Family in Saint Joseph's carpentry workshop. The painting was extremely controversial when first exhibited, prompting many negative reviews, most notably one written by Charles Dickens. It catapulted the previously obscure Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood to notoriety and was a major contributor to the debate about Realism in the arts. It is now in Tate Britain in London.
| Christ in the House of His Parents | |
|---|---|
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| Artist | John Everett Millais |
| Year | 1849-1850 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 86.4 cm × 139.7 cm (34.0 in × 55.0 in) |
| Location | Tate Britain, London |
Subject
editThe painting depicts the young Jesus assisting Joseph in his workshop. Joseph is making a door, which is laid upon his carpentry work-table. Jesus has cut his hand on an exposed nail, symbolizing the stigmata and foreshadowing Jesus's crucifixion. Some of the blood has fallen onto his foot. As Jesus's grandmother, Anne, removes the nail with a pair of pincers, his concerned mother, Mary, offers her cheek for a kiss. Joseph examines Jesus's wounded hand. A young boy, who would later be known as John the Baptist, brings in water to wash the wound, prefiguring his later baptism of Christ. An assistant of Joseph, who represents Jesus's future Apostles, observes these events.
In the background of the painting various objects are used to further symbolize the theological significance of the subject. A ladder, referring to Jacob's Ladder, leans against the back wall, and a dove which represents the Holy Spirit rests on it. Other carpentry implements refer to the Holy Trinity. Millais likely used Albrecht Dürer's print Melancholia I as a source for this imagery, along with Quattrocento works. The sheep in the sheepfold seen through the door represent the future Christian flock.[1]
It has been suggested that Millais was influenced by John Rogers Herbert's painting Our Saviour Subject to His Parents at Nazareth.[2] He may also have drawn on a painting depicting Jesus helping Joseph in his workshop, which at the time was attributed to Annibale Carracci.[3]
Critical response
editThe painting was immensely controversial when first exhibited because of its realistic depiction of a carpentry workshop, especially the dirt and detritus on the floor. The portrayal of Jesus and those surrounding Him was often considered to be radical, both in dress and in figure. Charles Dickens accused Millais of portraying Mary as an alcoholic who looks
so hideous in her ugliness that ... she would stand out from the rest of the company as a Monster, in the vilest cabaret in France, or the lowest gin-shop in England.
Critics also objected to the portrayal of Jesus, one complaining that it was "painful" to see "the youthful Saviour" depicted as "a red-headed Jew boy".[4] Dickens described him as a "wry-necked, blubbering red-headed boy in a bed-gown, who appears to have received a poke ... playing in an adjacent gutter".[5] Other critics suggested that the characters displayed signs of rickets and other disease associated with slum conditions. Because of the controversy, Queen Victoria asked for the painting to be taken to Buckingham Palace so that she could view it in private.[6]
At the Royal Academy the painting was exhibited with a companion piece by Millais's colleague, William Holman Hunt, that also portrayed a scene from early Christian history in which a family help a wounded individual. This was entitled A Converted British Family Sheltering a Christian Missionary from the Persecution of the Druids.
Consequences
edit| External videos | |
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 Sir John Everett Millais's Christ in the House of His Parents, Smarthistory[7] |
The effect of the critical comments was to make the Pre-Raphaelite movement famous and to create a debate about the relationship between modernity, realism and medievalism in the arts. The critic John Ruskin supported Millais in letter to the press and in his lecture "Pre-Raphaelitism"[8] despite personally disliking the painting. The painting's use of symbolic realism led to a wider movement in which the choice of composition and theme was combined with detailed observation.[9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Chapter 4. Typology in the Visual Arts -- Millais's Christ in the House of His Parents". victorianweb.org.
- ^ "Our Saviour Subject to His Parents at Nazareth by John Rogers Herbert". victorianweb.org.
- ^ Catherine Roach, The Artist in the House of His Patron: Images-within-Images in John Everett Millais's Portraits of the Wyatt Family, Visual Culture in Britain, 1 July 2008 1, 1 March 2010, pp. 67–92
- ^ ""The Royal Academy Exhibition." Builder 1 Jun. 1850, 255–256". Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2007.
- ^ "Dickens, Charles. "Old Lamps for New Ones." Household Words 12 (15 Jun. 1850), 12–14". Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2006.
- ^ Tate Gallery, Teacher's pack Archived 20 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Sir John Everett Millais's Christ in the House of His Parents". Smarthistory at Khan Academy. Archived from the original on 17 November 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
- ^ "Podcast, Liverpool museums". liverpoolmuseums.org.uk. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2006.
- ^ Myers, Nicole (August 2007). "Symbolism". In The Metropolitan Museum of Art (ed.). Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: MOMA Online. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
The Symbolists' rejection of naturalism and narrative in favor of the subjective representation of an idea or emotion would have a significant effect on the artwork of the twentieth century, ...