The Feast of Saint Joseph celebrated each year on the 19th March became common in Western Christianity as early as the 10th century and Saint Pope Pius V extended the observance to the entire Church in 1570. The day reminds catholics of Joseph as both a model of fatherhood and a protector of the Holy Family and the universal Church.
In this image, by the seventeenth century artist Sebastián Martínez Domedel, Joseph is portrayed as a concerned father, grasping Jesus’s arm to prevent him from taking fruit from the basket. While this might appear to be a common paternal rebuke, in this instance Joseph’s action is loaded with meaning, given the sacrificial and Eucharistic significance of both the Child’s violet tunic and the grapes and pomegranates that predominate in the fruit basket. For as Christ’s earthly guardian how strong must have been Joseph’s instinct to protect the infant from future suffering?
Sebastián Martínez Domedel is an artist that is undergoing a rediscovery. He was praised by the Spanish painter and author Antonio Palomino (1653-1726), who erroneously described him as a pupil of Diego Velázquez. Though comparatively little is known of Martínez’s life, he probably received his early artistic training in his hometown before completing his studies in Seville and Cordova. In 1660 he moved to Madrid, where he was named court painter to King Philip IV of Spain.
The Arts of Golden Age Spain and the Hispanic World 