Manuel González Santos, known as “El Granadino” (Granada 1765 - 1848) Spanish, circa 1795

Please note that the measurements should now read: height 16 3/4 in.; 42.5cm.

Galvani collection, Seville, 2013

El Granadino is considered to be the last great sculptor of the Granada School of the Baroque. He was born to a family of sculptors in Granada and joined the city's Royal Academy of Fine Arts as a student in 1777. He trained under the French sculptor Jean-Michel Verdiguier and gained knowledge beyond what he could learn in his family's traditional workshop setting.

Spanish Baroque representations of Joseph strengthened the saint's role as the father of Christ on earth and as a model of humility and fidelity. In the present work, the husband of the Virgin is portrayed standing in full length and holding both the Christ Child and a flowering branch.