The Holy Family with Saints Francis and Anne and the Infant Saint John the Baptist
The Holy Family appears to Saint Francis in this warm-hearted vision. The painting displays Rubens’s characteristic delight in the folds and dimples of flesh, the golden hues of sunset, and tender interactions between mothers and children. The dynamic forward movement of the saint from the left animates the scene, drawing the viewer’s eye diagonally across the canvas. American tastes were slow to embrace Rubens’s overt and bodily piety; this was one of the first of his works to enter a public collection in the United States.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Holy Family with Saints Francis and Anne and the Infant Saint John the Baptist
- Artist: Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, Siegen 1577–1640 Antwerp)
- Date: early or mid-1630s
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 69 1/2 x 82 1/2 in. (176.5 x 209.6 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of James Henry Smith, 1902
- Object Number: 02.24
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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