Andalusian school after BARTOLOME ESTEBAN MURILLO (Seville, 1617 - 1682); 18th century. "Saint Joseph with Child". Oil on canvas. It presents faults in the pictorial surface. Size: 109 x 83 cm; 126 x 100 cm (frame). The canvas now on auction has similarities with the painting of the same subject "Saint Joseph with the Child", attributed to Murillo's workshop, which is in the Lázaro Galdiano Museum in Madrid. Both depict a half-bust Saint Joseph, identified by the flowering rod, with the Child on his lap, in a family scene full of tenderness. This image was much repeated by the master Murillo, who managed to create a personal aesthetic pattern of great influence and iconographic relevance. Until the Counter-Reformation, it was common for the figure of Saint Joseph to remain in the background, as no theological importance was attached to him. After Trent, however, his leading role as the protector of Jesus during his childhood and as a guide during his youth was recovered, and he is depicted here as such. In contrast to the tenderness, defencelessness and candour of the infant figure, Saint Joseph is presented as a monumental, typically Baroque figure, an impression that is reinforced by the pyramidal composition. Through this form of representation, the author visually emphasises the decisive role of Jesus' putative father as protector.