Holy Family with Saint Anne (ca. 1620–70, Met-Objekt 1156)
Original title: Holy Family with Saint Anne
kurzbeschreibung
Paulus Pontius made the engraving Holy Family with Saint Anne, likely between 1620 and 1670. It presents Mary with the Christ Child, along with Joseph and Saint Anne. The four figures form a symmetrical group.
Description
Four figures fill the religious scene. Mary sits at the center, the child on her lap; Joseph stands to her left, Saint Anne to her right. All wear garments suited to biblical narratives. The layout is symmetrical, with Mary as the pivot. The print is monochrome; light effects arise from delicate gradations of line and the nature of the printing plate.
Context
Paulus Pontius, a Flemish engraver, is best known for his reproductive prints after Peter Paul Rubens. This engraving was probably made in Antwerp in the first half of the 17th century. The motif of the Holy Family with Saint Anne was widespread in Catholic art of the Counter-Reformation. The sheet is in the second state of two.
Impact
The symmetrical arrangement of the figures lends the scene a calm, dignified balance. The expressive gestures create a solemn yet not rigid tension. Because only lines and shading are at work, the clear structure and precise rendering of the garments stand out.
Technique
For this engraving, lines were incised into a copper plate and then printed. The impression is from the second state of the plate. The plate mark measures 25.9 × 18.5 cm; the paper onto which the impression was laid measures 33.9 × 21.8 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)