The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and the infant Saint John the Baptist (ca. 1640–53)
Original title: The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and the infant Saint John the Baptist
kurzbeschreibung
Jan Witdoeck produced this engraving between about 1640 and 1653. It presents the Holy Family, joined by Saint Elizabeth and the boy John the Baptist. The print is the third of three known states and measures 40 × 30 cm.
Description
In the foreground, Mary holds the infant Jesus on her lap, while Joseph stands beside her. Elizabeth sits to Mary’s right, holding the young John. All figures wear richly detailed, traditional garments. A tree silhouette and a cropped section of a building form the background. The layout feels balanced, with Mary and Joseph at its heart.
Context
Witdoeck, a Fleming, mainly engraved reproductions after Peter Paul Rubens. This print dates from 1640–1653, when the artist was working in Antwerp. The pairing of the Holy Family with Elizabeth and John the Baptist was a favoured subject of the Catholic Counter-Reformation, emphasising the closeness of the holy figures.
Impact
The engraving conveys calm and balance. Its linework is precise without feeling harsh, giving the figures an immediate presence. Because the light is evenly distributed and the garments are modelled only with restraint, a dignified, devotional mood arises.
Technique
For an engraving, the drawing is incised into a copper plate, and the recesses are then filled with printing ink. This impression comes from the third of three states, meaning the plate was reworked afterwards. The gradations in grey and the fine hatching are characteristic of this printing method.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)