St. Joseph in Italian Renaissance Art: New Directions and New Interpretations

This study assembles a wealth of evidence of cult veneration of St. Joseph in renaissance Italy. Carolyn Wilson argues for broad revision of our understanding of devotion to St. Joseph during the late Pre-Tridentine period. Here challenged are the long-held view of the saint's unimportance prior to Counter-Reformation and old assumption that Pre-Tridentine images were often intended to demean him. Pictorial analysis focuses on art commissioned by confraternities and high-ranking patrons devoted to St. Joseph.