Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

While there is no mention of the Holy Family crossing the river Jordan in the Gospels, the scene was frequently depicted in Venetian art; the conceit of showing the Holy Family's travel by boat perhaps coming naturally to Venetian artists. Examples include a painted version by Tiepolo himself from ca. 1767-70 (now in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon), which is very similar to this drawn composition. Other versions of the subject are found in paintings, drawings, and prints by Giambattista, his son Giandomenico, and other members of their immediate circle.