The Holy Family – Milestones and Miracles
Sculpted by J.Seward Johnson, dedicated at the Crystal Cathedral in 1999
J. Seward Johnson is world-renowned for his lifelike painted bronze depictions of people in real-life situations, for example, a sculpted businessman seated on a bench reading a newspaper, or a father teaching his child to ride a bike. Seward's bronze figures are so lifelike that people often sit or stand next to them, never realizing that the figures are not living, breathing human beings.
It was in this spirit that Mr. Johnson conceived The Holy Family, a very lifelike and life-size bronze depiction of Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus on their flight into Egypt.
For the first time, Johnson used glass eyes in these figures to duplicate the gloss and depth of the real human eye. He also chose to depict the infant Christ with highly reflective polished stainless steel skin to convey the idea that, in Jesus, each of us sees our own reflection.
This beautiful bronze masterpiece, gifted to the Crystal Cathedral by Dr. Keith C. and Elaine J. Wold (Johnson's sister), was unveiled and dedicated on Sunday, January 31, 1999. Thousands of visitors who come to the Crystal Cathedral to attend The Glory of Christmas, and throughout the year, have their photograph taken next to The Holy Family, a one-of-a-kind work of art.
More about J. Seward Johnson
After an early career as a painter, Johnson turned his talent to sculpture. Since then, he's created more than 250 life-size cast bronze figures currently featured in private collections in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia, as well as in prominent places such as in Rockefeller Center and near World Trade Center's "Ground Zero" in New York City, and in Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver, Canada.
Johnson, the grandson of the founder of Johnson & Johnson, grew up as heir to one of America's largest fortunes. He could have lived a life of leisure, but instead chose to be actively involved in art and an array of other interests; he is president of a large oceanographic research institute in Florida, publisher of a science magazine, and founder of an off-Broadway theater in New York.
