The Virgin and Child, Saint Anne, and Saint Emerentia
The seated group of the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and Saint Anne is the core of the Holy Kinship (in German, Anna Selbdritt, referring to three generations of the Holy Family). A favored subject in Germany, the theme was made popular by the widespread devotion to Saint Anne encouraged by lay devotional groups dedicated to her at this time. Such ensembles were often enlarged to include other saints. Here, the additional figure, standing at the back, depicts Saint Emerentia, the name given to the maternal grandmother of the Virgin Mary.
The fragmentary inscription in Gothic letters across the base once identified each of the figures.
The fragmentary inscription in Gothic letters across the base once identified each of the figures.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Virgin and Child, Saint Anne, and Saint Emerentia
- Date: 1515–30
- Geography: Made in possibly Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, Germany
- Culture: German
- Medium: Limewood, paint and gilding
- Dimensions: Overall: 33 1/4 x 22 5/8 x 11 in. (84.5 x 57.5 x 27.9 cm)
- Classification: Sculpture-Wood
- Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1916
- Object Number: 16.32.208
- Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters
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Hans Leinberger
ca. 1525–30
South Netherlandish
ca. 1480
South German
ca. 1460–70
French
ca. 1475
German
ca. 1510
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