The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and the infant Saint John the Baptist
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 13 7/16 × 9 3/4 in. (34.2 × 24.7 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
51.501.7353
Tags
Art Historical Context
This engraving captures a tender moment from Christian tradition, showing the Holy Family alongside Saint Elizabeth and the young Saint John the Baptist. Created by Flemish printmaker Lucas Vorsterman I after a design by Peter Paul Rubens, the work dates from roughly 1615 to 1675. The composition centers on the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, with Saint Joseph, Elizabeth, and the infant John gathered in quiet devotion, their gestures and gazes drawing the viewer into an intimate sacred circle. Rubens, a leading figure of the Baroque period, was renowned for his dynamic compositions and ...