The Virgin and Christ child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist
Original title: The Virgin and Christ child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist
kurzbeschreibung
Between about 1640 and 1659, Schelte Adams à Bolswert produced this engraving, which brings together Mary with the Christ Child, Saint Anne, and the young John the Baptist. The subject draws on a widespread religious image type of the seventeenth century.
Description
On the left, Saint Anne is seated, her gaze fixed on the Christ Child, who rests on Mary's lap. The child holds a lamb, while to Mary's right John the Baptist also embraces a lamb. Columns and part of a building in the background suggest a sacred setting. The layout is symmetrical, with the figures placed centrally, and a diffuse light from above highlights them brightly.
Context
Schelte Adams à Bolswert, a Flemish engraver, became known above all for his reproductive prints after paintings by Peter Paul Rubens. This engraving was made in the mid-seventeenth century, when religious prints were widely circulated in Catholic regions and served devotional purposes. A reworking of the plate testifies to the second of three states.
Impact
The precise linework and balanced arrangement give the sheet a calm, contemplative mood. Thanks to the exact hatching, the figures appear three-dimensional and recall the painting of the Rubens school.
Technique
For this engraving, the lines were cut into the metal plate with a burin. Fine hatching and cross-hatching create tonal values and textures that model both the figures and the architectural background.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)