The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist
ca. 1780
Medium
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 6 5/16 × 4 5/8 in. (16.1 × 11.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951
Accession Number
51.501.7358
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate etching and engraving captures the tender gathering of the Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and the young Saint John the Baptist. Created around 1780, the print reflects a long-standing Christian subject that emphasizes themes of kinship, protection, and divine lineage. The compact sheet, measuring just over six by four inches, invites close viewing of the intimate scene rendered with fine lines and subtle tonal contrasts. The work is attributed to Peter Paul Rubens, the celebrated Flemish Baroque master renowned for his dynamic compositions and rich emotional expression, in col...
About the Artist
Peter Paul Rubens|Robert Brichet · 1577–1640
Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) stands as the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition and the greatest exponent of Baroque painting's dynamism, vitality, and sensuous exuberance. Born in Siegen, Westphalia, and raised in Antwerp, Rubens received a humanist education studying Latin and classical literature before pursuing artistic training under three masters: Tobias Verhaecht, Adam ...