Jesus' conversation with his parents

Jesus' conversation with his parents, unknown painter, middle of the 17th century, oil on canvas.

The iconographic image represents an extremely rare motive of Jesus' preaching to parents, which is meant as a sacra conversazione. The scene is happening outdoors in a forest surrounded by landscape. Mary on the right with her arms clasped, and Joseph with a lily and a deferred book. To the left, there is a youthful Jesus opposite them, who points to the sky from the right.

He probably explains to them that his real home is in heaven and not on earth. In the middle of the picture, the view with a wooded stream with a fountain penetrates the plane with the horizon. The colour of the picture is distinctly Northern, the colour of the clothing is artificial, metallic, the bodies are extended, the faces are oval. They are surrounded by a characteristic starburst. An unbalanced composition, with an empty centre and a distance flight. The work came under the influence of a Dutch graphic.