DOSSO DOSSI (C. 1490-1542)
The Holy Family
c. 1527-8RCIN 402853
The Holy Family is shown with the Virgin’s parents, St Joachim and St Anne. The cockerel held by the Christ Child alludes to his Resurrection and the reawakening of the world, as the cock crows to mark the dawn of a new day. The painting was almost certainly commissioned by the Gonzaga, rulers of Mantua, in whose inventory of 1627 it is recorded.