Traditional Catholic art gains a compelling new medium in gallery wrap canvas. Canvases featuring this modern art trend combine special printing technology and the technical skill of our Steubenville craftsmen to carefully wrap and tuck the canvas around the back of a 3/4" thick engineered wood mount. This method creates an impressive visual display with a faux 3D effect as the image continues around all visible sides of the mount. The canvas is free of visible staples or tacks and stands alone with no need for a frame. Each canvas hangs with a wire in the back and has an attractive satin-matte finish.

Our St. Joseph Guardian of Sons gallery wrapped canvas is a depth-filled painting about fatherhood, the life of St. Joseph, and Christ as God-Man. This painting was made by Melchior Paul von Deschwanden, a Swiss artist, in the 19th century. A tender and contemplative St. Joseph - the foster father of Jesus - is depicted with the Christ child resting on his lap. Jesus is petting an ewe, foreshadowing his sacrifice as the "Lamb of God," and St. John the Baptist, pictured as a young boy holding a cross with the "Agnus Dei" proclamation, kneels and devotedly kisses Christ's foot. With forehead scrunched in contemplation, the tender foster father of God takes in the scene, presumably contemplating the great sacrifice that his Son will make and the Divinity of his child. A rod of lilies points to his great purity and the legend of how he was chosen to be the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the axe next to him points to the hard work and labor he accomplished for his family throughout his life. The scene takes place in the clouds, a place of heavenly contemplation. As an altarpiece, von Deschwanden's piece rests in Kastelruth, Italy.

A simple, neat, and beautiful way to adorn your home, office, or parish - or even to give as a gift to a friend, relative, or priest. Handcrafted at our shop in Steubenville, OH.

( GWC-1428 )