The Virgin and Child, Saint Anne, and Saint Emerentia

Art Historical Context

This exquisite limewood sculpture, *The Virgin and Child, Anne, and Saint Emer*, crafted by an unknown German artist around 1515–30, captures a tender moment in sacred lineage. At the center, the Virgin Mary cradles the Christ Child, joined by her mother, Saint, and grandmother, Saint Emerentia—izing the expanded Holy Family revered in late medieval devotion. Standing at over 33 inches tall, its painted and gilded surfaces bring the figures to life with vibrant and shimmering gold, a hallmark of Northern European religious art that made spiritual scenes accessible and immersive for worshippers...