The modelling of the reverse is only rudimentary and Joseph’s back has been hollowed out before firing.

The bottom of Joseph’s beard is missing, as are the fingers of his right hand and the top of the stem of the lily in that hand. A few fingers are missing from the Christ Child’s right hand, as are all the fingers of his left hand and the cross he had held in that hand.

Commissioned by Radalphus Crucken, provost of Affligem abbey, 1746;¹¹A. Jacobs, Laurent Delvaux (Gand, 1696-Nivelles, 1778), Paris 1999, p. 353 and B. van der Mark, ‘St Joseph with the Christ Child, BK-1971-25’, in F. Scholten and B. van der Mark (eds.), European Sculpture in the Rijksmuseum, online coll. cat. Amsterdam 2025. from the estate of the artist, inherited by Edmond Fiévet, Nivelles;²²Fiévet 1878, p. 21. inherited by Alfred Fiévet, Nivelles;³³ G. Willame, Laurent Delvaux (1696-1778), Brussels/Paris 1914, no. 145. inherited by Mrs K. Gem, Rèves; whose sale, London (Christie’s), 12 May 1970, no. 138; from the Heim Gallery, London, £500 (fl. 4336.54), to the museum, 1971

Object number: BK-1971-25

In the same period that Laurent Delvaux (1696-1778) was working in Nivelles on the Van der Noot-de Jonghe funerary monument (BK-1970-137), he created a marble sculpture of Joseph with the Christ Child for the former abbey of Affligem (fig. a). The present terracotta, with the monogram L.D. on the plinth, is the modello for that sculpture, which today stands in the Sint-Jakob-op-Koudenberg in Brussels.⁴⁴How and when the marble sculpture came there is not known. Affligem abbey was closed in 1796 during the French Revolution. The art works were confiscated and the buildings pulled down a year later. Today two other works Delvaux had made for Affligem abbey, depicting Sts Benedict and Martin, can be found in Brussels cathedral, see A. Jacobs, Laurent Delvaux (Gand, 1696-Nivelles, 1778), Paris 1999, nos. S148, S151. Until 1970 the terracotta had still been owned by the sculptor’s heirs in Nivelles.⁵⁵Sale London (Christie’s), 1970, p. 54.

In the visual arts, under the influence of the Counter-Reformation, Joseph changed from a gruff old individual into a virile man, and was portrayed increasingly without the Virgin, with the Christ Child as a little baby in his arms, or, as here, as an infant walking beside him. Joseph still holds in his right hand a piece of his broken off attribute, a lily, symbolising purity. Christ would originally have had a cross in his left hand alluding to his future suffering. Joseph is looking lovingly at his son and radiates self-assured calm in keeping with his paternal role. In both iconographic and stylistic terms the work is firmly rooted in the tradition of the Flemish baroque in which Delvaux had been trained, and which in the Netherlands would continue to be deployed to until well into the eighteenth century, particularly in statues of saints. Yet in the well-balanced composition, the smooth finish as well as Joseph’s elegant dignity, a touch of the classicist aesthetic typical of Delvaux’ secular work also permeates. It is even more in evidence in the eventual marble sculpture, in which Joseph has his head held somewhat higher and has acquired a more noble appearance, with more prominent eyelids and with hair covering his skull.

A contract, dated 22 September 1747, still exists for the eventual marble sculpture, stipulating the agreements relating to the assignment.⁶⁶Archive L. Delvaux, Asse, transcription in A. Jacobs, Laurent Delvaux (Gand, 1696-Nivelles, 1778), Paris 1999, p. 353: ‘Le soussigné Sr. Laurent Delvaux maître sculpteur demeurant en la ville de Nivelles, déclare par cette d’avoir Entrepris des mains de dom Ancelme depestere, Receveur de l’Abbaÿe d’Afflighem pour ce commis par Mr. le prévôt de la dite Abbaÿe, de faire par ses mains une statue en marbre blanc bien conditionnée, représentant St. Joseph tenant l’Enfant Jésus à la main pour Etre placée dans la niche de l’autel nouvellement construit dans une chapelle dans l’Eglise de la susdite Abbaÿe à gauche du grand chœur, devant être ladite statue à proportion de la niche, de la hauteur de cinq pied, et le piedestal aussy en marbre blanc bien conditionné de la hauteur proportionnée à la statue et à la niche, le susdit ouvrage devant être achevé avant la fin du moins de maÿ de l’an 1748 s’il est possible. En outre le susdit Sr Delvaux sera obligé de livrer ladite statue et la voiture restant à charge de ladite Abbaÿe, dans la chapelle mentionnée à ses frais et dépens, sauf les frais des comptoirs, et tout cela pour la somme de mille cinq cent florins argent courant, fait à Nivelles, ce 22 septembre 1747.’ It states that Delvaux committed himself to supplying a white marble sculpture of St Joseph holding the Christ Child by the hand. The figure was to be five feet in height and proportional to the niche (which had still to be completed?) in which it was to be placed and would form part of a new side altar honouring St Joseph and St Lutgardis on the left of the chancel in Affligem abbey church. Delvaux had to consign the work to its destination, including the white marble pedestal, ‘if possible’ before the end of May 1748 – all for the sum of 1,500 florins. For reasons unknown, the work was delivered in Affligem much later, on 2 December 1748 or 1749.⁷⁷A. Van Roy, ‘Kunstschatten uit Oud Affligem’, De Brabantse Folklore (1962), pp. 211-43, esp. pp. 238 and 240.

The ultimate marble sculpture has the inscription L. Delvaux in[veni]t f[ecit] 1746 on its right side. Since both the contract and the delivery date suggest the sculpture was not yet ready in 1746, this probably means that the work stems from a design (‘invention’) made in that year.⁸⁸A. Jacobs, Laurent Delvaux (Gand, 1696-Nivelles, 1778), Paris 1999, p. 353. Consequently the present, highly finished modello was made somewhere in the period 1746-48. Still it is strange that the mentioned date of the invention is at least nine months earlier than the moment the contract was drawn up. The most logical explanation would be that the contract should be seen as formal confirmation of previous agreements (made in or shortly before 1746) and that Delvaux had already started work on the project. Evidently he had good relations with Affligem abbey, because, between 1751 and 1753, he produced another two marble statues of saints for it. They depicted St Benedict and St Martin and can now be found in Brussels cathedral.⁹⁹A. Jacobs, Laurent Delvaux (Gand, 1696-Nivelles, 1778), Paris 1999, nos. S148, S151 and pp. 365-70.

Bieke van der Mark, 2025

J. Leeuwenberg with the assistance of W. Halsema-Kubes, Beeldhouwkunst in het Rijksmuseum, coll. cat. Amsterdam 1973, no. 412, with earlier literature; A. Jacobs, Laurent Delvaux (Gand, 1696-Nivelles, 1778), Paris 1999, pp. 351-54 (S 136); P. Philippot, D. Coekelberghs, P. Loze and D. Vautier, L’Architecture religieuse et la sculpture baroques dans les Pays-Bas méridionaux et la principauté de Liège: 1600-1770, Sprimont 2003, p. 722 (ill.)