The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist
1841
Medium
oil on canvas on wood
Dimensions
overall: 25.7 x 19 cm (10 1/8 x 7 1/2 in.) framed: 46.3 x 41.2 cm (18 1/4 x 16 1/4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CAB
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Timken Collection
Accession Number
1960.6.42
Art Historical Context
Sir David Wilkie's *The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist (1841) offers an intimate glimpse into a sacred biblical scene, depicting Mary, Joseph, the Christ child, Elizabeth, and John in a tender family grouping. Painted in the final year of Wilkie's life—this prolific Scottish artist died at sea en route to the Holy Land—the work measures a petite 25.7 x 19 cm (10 1/8 x 7 1/2 in.), suggesting it was conceived as a private devotional piece or study rather than a grand altarpiece. Rendered in oil on canvas mounted on wood, the medium allowed Wilkie to achieve rich imp...