Saint Joseph's Dream

A leading italian rococo painter (1703–1766), he arrived at the Spanish Court in 1753 as court painter to King Ferdinand VI. He remained in Madrid until 1762, where he was highly active as a ceiling decorator and painter of religious and mythological canvases for the New Royal Palace. 

During that time, he painted the beautiful work Saint Joseph's Dream, characterized by delicate colors and a light touch of decisive, agile brushstrokes, particularly in the ethereal figure of the angel who appears to the sleeping Saint Joseph to dispel any doubts regarding the paternity of Jesus. In the background, in another room, is the Virgin with the Child in her arms, and above them, in a glory halo, the dove of the Holy Spirit. Above, to the left, in the shadows, two little angels are about to place the starry crown and the lilies of virginal purity upon Mary.