St Joseph with the Christ Child in His Arms– 3 sizes – by Guido Reni – Catholic Art Print – Archival Quality

This masterpiece is an image of Saint Joseph, foster father of Jesus. I love the richness of this painting, which portrays Joseph as an elderly man, perhaps to show he is more of a fatherly protector to the Virgin and Child than a young, handsome husband. Some prefer one, others the other. Either way, there is beauty and holiness shown forth in some way.

In a way, when I look at this image, I think of God the Father, with his only begotten Son. Joseph indeed symbolizes that fatherly, caring, generous image of our heavenly Father, as all earthly fathers are called to imitate.

Saint Joseph is a powerful patron for many, a few of which include families, virgins, carpenters, workers. fathers, a happy death, and not the least, the whole Church, the body of Christ! Also known as "terror of demons", Joseph is everyone's friend and protector.

Guido Reni lived from 1575-1642, from Bologna, Italy. He produced a series of these older Joseph's holding baby Jesus, and this is by far my favorite. Painted around 1635. Oil on canvas.
126x101 cm. Acquired by the Hermitage (St.Petersburg) in 1850 from an sale of the collection of the Netherlands King William II in The Hague.

Easy to find a ready-made frame at your local Hobby Lobby. We'd recommend a classic, heavy dark wood frame for this. A dark matte, if you're using one, but you don't have to matte our prints. The white border looks good. If you're sending this as a gift and would like us to frame it for you, please convo and we'll make special arrangements for you that you'll like.

** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a blank border all around the image of about .5" for 5x7, 1.3" for 8.5x11, 1.6" for 11x14, and 1.75" for 13x17". All Approx! The white space gives the framed picture a finished look without using a mat.

- Acid-free paper
- Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
- Cardboard backer
- Above story of the art
- Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

Thanks for your interest!
Sue & John

"In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art." ~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson