\paperw19995 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 This painting illustrates a scene from JesusÆ childhood, set in the workshop of his father Joseph. It was painted in 1850 b
y John Everett Millais, one of the best-known members of the group called the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.\par
The protagonist of the scene is Jesus, placed at the center of the composition together with his mother Mary.\par
The vertical axis formed by
the two figures is intersected by the horizontal wooden bench top behind them, forming a cross alluding to ChristÆs sacrifice.\par
The bench, set in the middle of the room, measures the space in which the figures are arranged.\par
Joseph is portrayed a
t work, on the right. \par
The figure of the boy dressed in an animal skin is John the Baptist, carrying a basin of water that refers to baptism.\par
In the background, behind the table, we can see his elderly mother, Elizabeth.\par
The carpenterÆs s
hop is described in meticulous detail. Work tools hang on the rear wall, while the floor is covered with wood shavings.\par
The painting is rich in metaphor, such as the presence of a ladder and a nail remover, instruments used to remove ChristÆs dead
