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In presenting the works of Signorelli, Vasari testifies that the this painting was made for the Sala delle Udienze of the Capitani di Parte Guelfa in Florence. Furthermore, this tondo is one of the first known works which depicts the Holy Family in a landscape, and it served as a model for a whole generation of artists, from Michelangelo and his Doni Tondo, to Raphael and Andrea del Sarto. In fact, the monumental rendering of the figures, placed in the foreground and almost invading the physical world, is certainly the most characteristic feature of the painting, a detail that differs from the works of his youth and seems to anticipate 16th-century techniques.
The Virgin, characterized by a pearly complexion and wide red tunic, is intent on reading a book, while Christ turns his gaze to St Joseph. The three subjects in their monumentality occupy the whole painted space; on the background, we can see a barely defined desert or country landscape and some figures heading towards the fortifications.
The Holy Family represents one of the apexes of Signorelli's career, marking the achievement of his artistic maturity. In the hands of St Joseph and in the profile of the Child, in fact, we note cues deriving from Bartolomeo della Gatta and Verrocchio, with whom the artist carried out his apprenticeship. Additionally, the tender face of Mary and the human gaze of Joseph reveal the innovations which characterize the fundamental stylistic production of the painter.
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