The Virgin holding the Christ Child, St Anne standing above with arms outstretched, St Elizabeth at the left
Original title: The Virgin holding the Christ Child, St Anne standing above with arms outstretched, St Elizabeth at the left
kurzbeschreibung
Around 1520 Marcantonio Raimondi made this engraving, which gathers the Holy Family together with Saint Anne and Saint Elizabeth. Several generations meet within a composition ordered with deliberate symmetry.
Description
Mary sits in the foreground with the Christ Child on her lap, her hands raised. Facing her, kneeling on the left, Saint Elizabeth reaches one hand toward the child. Behind them stands Saint Anne with her arms opened wide. On the right a small angel leans against a vessel; curtains and a wooden door close off the space.
Context
Raimondi, an Italian engraver of the Renaissance, became known above all for his reproductive prints after Raphael. This sheet was made in Rome around 1520, where he worked closely with Raphael. The motif of the holy kin was widely popular in the Renaissance and often found its way into devotional images.
Impact
The even arrangement and restrained gestures lend the print a solemn quiet. Clear lines and balanced placement produce a harmony that invites the viewer to linger and reflect.
Technique
An engraving takes shape when lines are cut into a copper plate and the plate is then printed. Raimondi used fine hatching to draw out light and shadow. The monochrome rendering brings the graphic qualities of the motif to the fore.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)