Circle of ISIDORO DE TAPIA (Valencia, 1712 - Madrid, 1778). "Holy Family". Oil on canvas. Size: 28 x 22,5 cm. Under a sky with a break of glory, there are three figures dressed with cloaks and tunics; the Virgin Mary in red and blue carries the Child Jesus by the hand, with St. Joseph to the right, identified by his flowered rod, repeating the gesture. Just above the Child, between his parents, we see the dove symbolising the Holy Spirit. Both the composition and the theme, which seeks to emphasise the importance of Jesus and Mary by placing them in such a clear relationship with the Trinity, was common, although not very common, in Spanish Baroque art, following the Counter-Reformation line of defending Catholicism and the artistic dispositions and norms arising from the Council of Trent. The composition chosen is common at the time, and can also be seen in works by Murillo (National Museum, Stockholm), Bernardo Manuel de Silva, etc. However, it is worth noting the suggestion in this painting of showing the Heavenly Trinity in the upper part (the Holy Spirit and God the Father) just above Jesus, linking it to the "Earthly Trinity" (Jesus, Mary and Saint Joseph). According to Ceán Bermúdez, the Valencian painter Isidoro de Tapia trained with Evaristo Muñoz. In Valencia he executed several works commissioned by the public, and in 1743 he moved to Madrid. He joined the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts, where he was appointed a meritorious academician in 1755. It is thought that he also spent some time working in Portugal. He taught drawing at the Academy until his death, and also worked for the Royal Stables of the Royal Palace. Although few signed works by his hand are known, Ismael Gutiérrez Pastor compiled a small catalogue of twenty-eight works that provide an insight into the personality of this painter, and also reconstructed his life from known and unpublished documents. Works by Isidoro de Tapia are currently held in the San Fernando Academy and other collections.