Follower of Zacarías González Velázquez

Follower of ZACARIAS GONZÁLEZ VELÁZQUEZ (Madrid, 1763 - 1863); end of the XVIII century.
"Holy Family".
Oil on canvas.
It has a frame of the nineteenth century.
Measurements. 63 x 50 cm; 72 x 58 cm (frame).
This work follows a model of the painting that is found in the back room of the Cathedral of Jaén, the painting known colloquially as the painting of the Scissors is the work of Salvador Maella, master of Zacarías González Velázquez. This particular work is aesthetically closer to the work of his disciple than to that of Maella. The scene is set in a private interior, as can be deduced by the presence of the furniture, although this interior is merged with a break of glory in the upper area of the canvas. The work shows a certain influence of baroque models, in spite of being a work made in a later period. In the center of the scene is the Holy Family, and in this case it is Saint Joseph who holds the Child Jesus in his arms, thus showing the relevance of his figure during the baroque period.
Son, brother, brother-in-law and father of painters, Zacarías González Velázquez developed a career closely linked to the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, of which he would become general director in 1828. The influence of the artists of his family and that of the Academy will be, together with his courtly career, the two key factors in the development of his life and work. Zacarías joined the Academy of San Fernando in 1777, under the guidance of his father. That year he began his training, and the following year he was awarded first prize in the second class of painting. His studies, plagued with success, concluded in 1782, and since then the painter accepted a series of private commissions, including the series of paintings of the life of St. Francis, made in 1787 for the church of San Francisco el Grande in Madrid. The decade of the eighties was for Zacarías González Velázquez a period of intense work, which culminated with his appointment as an academician of San Fernando in 1790. Later he was appointed assistant professor, a position he held from 1793 to 1807. During these years of plenitude he achieved the position of Honorary Chamber Painter, in 1801, and the following year that of Numerary Chamber Painter. By then he had already made his most important works in fresco, among them those of the Chapel of San Isidro in Madrid (1789) and the Royal Oratory of the Caballero de Gracia in the same city (1792). In the early years of the 19th century he painted the frescoes of the Casa del Labrador del Escorial and the King's Room in the Palace of Aranjuez. He also carried out important religious commissions, as well as portraits of his family and himself, the royal family and some of the most distinguished gentlemen of the time. In 1807 he was appointed lieutenant director of painting at San Fernando, although his ascending career at the Academy was paralyzed by the French invasion and the War of Independence. During this period Zacarías González Velázquez will remain in Madrid, joining the Chamber Painters of José I, although after the return of Fernando VII he will have no problems to rejoin the service of the monarch. Thanks to the protection of the prince.