Holy Family with Saint Anne (ca. 1620–70, Met-Objekt 1160)
Original title: Holy Family with Saint Anne
kurzbeschreibung
Paulus Pontius made the engraving Heilige Familie mit der Heiligen Anna, likely between 1620 and 1670. It shows Mary with the Christ Child, flanked by Joseph and Saint Anne. The print is the second of two states and measures 25.9 × 18.5 cm (plate size).
Description
Mary sits enthroned at the center, holding the Christ Child on her lap. Joseph stands to her left, the elderly Saint Anne to her right. All figures wear biblical robes; the arrangement feels symmetrical. A dim interior with columns and arches forms the background. Fine line and dot engraving shape the space and the texture of the garments.
Context
Pontius is among the Flemish Baroque engravers and is especially known for his reproductive prints after Peter Paul Rubens. The engraving was made in Antwerp in the first half of the seventeenth century, then a center of printmaking. The motif of the Holy Family with Anne was widespread in Catholic art of the Counter-Reformation and emphasized the holiness of the family.
Impact
The symmetrical layout and the calm posture of the figures give the print a solemn balance. Fine hatching gives faces and garments plastic depth and makes the scene feel alive.
Technique
For this engraving, lines were incised into a copper plate and then printed. The second state indicates that the plate was reworked, adding further details or shading. The process allows precise lines and nuanced tonal gradations through cross-hatching.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)