117 The painting „Death of St Joseph“ The painting (146.5 x 97 cm) dates from the 18th-century. It was not created for this retable and was slightly reduced in order to fit into the retable’s niche. The decorative frame was upcycled from a much bigger one by opening all corner joints and cutting the bars to reduce the size. Description and iconography The painting depicts the dying Joseph accompanied by Mary and Jesus. The centre of the scene shows St Joseph on a horizontally aligned bed with a large canopy in light and dark blue. Mary stands behind the bed, while Jesus Christ approaches the scene from the left with a gesture of blessing. This central pyramidal group is surrounded by a row of putti, two of whom are holding candles. In the foreground on the right is a putto with an hourglass, while a second mourning putto is leaning against a small table with a drinking glass and a small glass bottle. He is covering his face with a cloth and holding an open book that reads: Intra in gaudium Domini Math: C:25 V.21 [“Go into the joy of the Lord”];77 The upper left corner depicts a luminous heavenly area, from which rays of light are radiating. Clouds with a number of putti are visible, one of whom is presenting the wreath of honour to Joseph (Fig. 188). Fig. 189: The back of the painting with strainer and frame
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