The Holy family with St. Ambrosius and a donor

Paris Bordone's Holy Family with Saint Ambrose and a Donor is an important votive altarpiece commissioning the Venetian painter to incorporate the patron's kneeling figure into a sacred scene presided over by the Bishop of Milan. Saint Ambrose, the great fourth-century bishop who baptized Augustine and established the Ambrosian rite still used in Milan, was a significant intercessor for donors from Milan and the Lombard territories. Bordone's inclusion of both Venetian sacred warmth and the specific Milanese devotional tradition of Ambrosian intercession demonstrates his ability to serve the diverse regional devotional requirements of his broad client base.

The devotional composition is rendered with attention to the expressive and contemplative qualities that served the painting's function as an aid to prayer and meditation.