Explore the Critical response of this artwork, Christ in the House of His Parents.
The painting was immensely controversial when first exhibited because of its realistic depiction of a carpentry workshop, especially the dirt and detritus on the floor. The portrayal of Jesus and those surrounding Him was often considered to be radical, both in dress and in figure.  Charles Dickens accused Millais of portraying Mary as an alcoholic who looksso hideous in her ugliness that ... she would stand out from the rest of the company as a Monster, in the vilest cabaret in France, or the lowest gin-shop in England.
Critics also objected to the portrayal of Jesus, one complaining that it was "painful" to see "the youthful Saviour" depicted as "a red-headed Jew boy". Dickens described him as a "wry-necked, blubbering red-headed boy in a bed-gown, who appears to have received a poke ... playing in an adjacent gutter". Other critics suggested that the characters displayed signs of rickets and other disease associated with slum conditions. Because of the controversy, Queen Victoria asked for the painting to be taken to Buckingham Palace so that she could view it in private.At the Royal Academy the painting was exhibited with a companion piece by Millais's colleague, William Holman Hunt, that also portrayed a scene from early Christian history in which a family help a wounded individual. This was entitled A Converted British Family Sheltering a Christian Missionary from the Persecution of the Druids.
William Holman Hunt Jesus A Converted British Family Sheltering a Christian Missionary from the Persecution of the Druids Mary Royal Academy Charles Dickens rickets Buckingham Palace Queen Victoria