The image of Saint Joseph in medieval Venetian art

by Sergio Todeschini

The scholar Franco Verri has collected the most significant and representative artistic images of the figure of Saint Joseph in Veneto during the late and early Middle Ages; an iconography of the saint suggested to artists both by the Gospels and by the apocryphal writings. The first exemplary images are those concerning the saint's marriage to Mary and the episodes linked to Jesus' childhood. They are precious testimonies dating back to the first and second Middle Ages which are found both in the Venetian basilica of San Marco and in Padua in the Scrovegni Chapel. The artists represented the childhood of Jesus following the narrative trace of the Gospels and in some cases they intertwined the events following both the apocryphal writings and the Gospels; as can be seen by observing the reliefs placed on the alabaster columns of the tabernacle of the Basilica of San Marco in Venice. The images are in bas-relief and the figures in static pose follow the late Byzantine setting and are placed under small arches supported by simple columns.

In his marriage to Mary, Saint Joseph, full of amazement, is represented to us at a mature age, almost wanting to find a middle solution between those who identified him as a young age and those who identified him as an older age. The events of Saint Joseph which enrich the chair of Bishop Maximilian in Ravenna are of decidedly apocryphal influence dating back to the 500th century; or those inserted among the stupendous mosaics of San Marco in Venice, dated 1200; preciousness that decorate an arch placed above an entrance door. These mosaics tell us the story of the saint episodically, starting from Zechariah intent on praying in the temple, followed by the episode of the flowering rod, the presentation of Joseph to Mary, Mary's farewell to Elizabeth and Joseph's reproach towards the pregnant Mary. They are extraordinary images that convey emotion and express the feelings of the subjects linked to the facts represented. In Padua, in the Scrovegni Chapel, master Giotto told the story of the marriage of Saint Joseph in four scenes. In these representations, serenity and disturbance, amazement and joy are conveyed to us by the expressions of the faces and posture of the characters who follow the development of the story as non-protagonists. A theme widely represented by artists is that concerning the 'Saint's Doubt'. In the Basilica of San Marco, on the main portal, the dream of San Giuseppe is represented to us. The Saint is a bearded and hooded man, an unusual image that combines elements of Lombard-Provençal culture and influences of Greek classicism. Everywhere, in the episodes that tell the birth of Jesus, Saint Joseph is always represented far from the Virgin, relegated to a corner, almost excluded from the nativity scene.

The saint always rests his hand under his chin, he seems bored and unfamiliar with what happened. A posture that can also be observed in Sommacampagna, in the Verona area, in an episode inserted among a series of frescoes dating back to 1100 that tell the story of Jesus' childhood. Giotto, in the Scrovegni Chapel, also represents him as a stranger, hooded and sleeping; in contrast with the posture of Mary, lying next to little Jesus, full of attention and sweetness. The images that enrich the portal of the Treviso cathedral are beautiful. These bas-reliefs dating back to 1200 tell us episodes related to the nativity. Here Saint Joseph is represented with an apprehensive expression when he searches for a midwife, and as a caring father as he wraps little Jesus in a cloth while asking for food from some shepherds. In this case the saint is seen as a true protagonist of the evangelical events. In the episode of the presentation of Jesus in the temple, present in numerous artistic expressions, our saint is always present, attentive, thoughtful and carries the doves in his hand. Thus he is represented to us in the golden altarpiece in San Marco in Venice.

Or with a stern face, while carrying doves placed in a cage. This image can be seen in a relief in the Treviso cathedral. From the 4th century onwards, Saint Joseph is almost always present in the scene of the Magi and is found appearing next to or behind Mary. Altichiero, a contemporary artist of Giotto, in a fresco found in the oratory of San Giorgio in Padua, represents him no longer humble but authoritative and protagonist while he witnesses the episode of the Magi alongside Mary. In the portal of San Zeno in Verona, the sculptor Guglielmo tells us the episodes of Jesus' childhood. There are nine scenes that begin with the annunciation and end with the flight into Egypt. In this last panel Saint Joseph leads the group, helping himself with a stick and carrying a burden with him. An episode that finds space in various artistic works also present in the Veneto. Rare, however, are those that tell of Jesus found among the doctors in the temple. A pictorial example of this episode is offered to us by the master Jacopo Giusti in a fresco found in Padua.

The fourteenth-century painter represents Saint Joseph walking the streets in search of Jesus. Next to him is Mary whose face expresses apprehension. But in the saint who indicates the temple to the Madonna, the joy of the discovery is already expressed. A Joseph caught in his youth and beardless can be seen in a painted medallion dating back to 1300 found on the wall of the Padua basilica dedicated to Saint Anthony. An iconographic novelty dedicated to the representation of our saint. Even in Veneto we will have to wait for full popular devotion towards Saint Joseph to see a more careful and varied iconography dedicated to the figure of the putative father of Jesus flourish.