In the central panel we see St Anne seated on a richly decorated throne. According to Christian tradition, Anne was married three times. Her husbands are portrayed to her left and right. Her union with St Joachim produced Mary, Jesus’ mother. Mary sits with her Child at her mother’s feet. Seated on the right is Mary’s husband, Joseph, with a flowering staff in his hand. On the side panels are Anne’s daughters from her two other marriages, together with their husbands and children. The veneration of St Anne reached its climax around 1500, especially in the Netherlands. However, her roots lie far deeper and go back to the pre-Christian fertility cult and the veneration of the Great Mother. The triptych is ascribed to the Master of St Anne and comes from the former Beguinage of St Autbert (Poortakker) in Ghent. The figures are realistically portrayed. However, the use of gold, the flat background with rose bushes and the inscriptions with the names of the saints tend to make the work archaic.
| Artist |
Master of the Family of Saint Anne
RKD
|
|---|---|
| Title | The Family of Saint Anne |
| Date | ca. 1500 - ca. 1510 |
| Period | 16th century |
| Location | Ghent TGN |
| Signatures, inscriptions, and markings | inscription above the heads of the figures, from left to right: Maria Salome; Sebedeus; Salome; Joachim; Scta Anna; Cleophas; Alpheus; Maria Cleophe. |
| inscription: Johannes evangehlus | |
| inscription on the collar of Salome's robe: SIT NOMEN DOMINI BENEDICTUM ECCE HOC | |
| inscription on the right sleeve of Salome's robe: GERARDVS E | |
| inscription on the lower edge of the robe of Alpheus: E SANCTA AME | |
| inscription on the right shoulder of Jacob Minor: Jacob minor | |
| inscription on the right shoulder of Simon: Simon | |
| inscription on the left shoulder: Joseph Jusus | |
| inscription: Judas | |
| Collection | paintings AAT |
| Object type | oil paintings (visual works) AAT |
| Inventory number | S-106 |
| Acquisition credit |
transfer
OCMW Ghent 1850 |
| Current whereabouts | Work on display |
| Permalink | https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/S-106 |
| IIIF Manifest | https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/6901/manifest.json |
| Art & Architecture Thesaurus | 300055874 religious symbolism AAT |
|---|---|
| Keywords Iconclass |
11D
Christ
Iconclass
11D21 Christ-child (with attributes) Iconclass 11F the Virgin Mary Iconclass 11F726 Christ-child suckling, or beginning to suckle, e.g. Mary uncovering her breast ~ Madonna-representations Iconclass 11H saints Iconclass 11H(ALPHEUS) male saints (ALPHEUS) Iconclass 11H(JAMES THE GREAT)11 the apostle James the Great; possible attributes: book, pilgrim's cloak, hat, shell, staff, and wallet, scroll, sword - male saint as patron, protector, intercessor Iconclass 11H(JAMES THE LESS) the apostle James the Less, first bishop of Jerusalem; possible attributes: book, fuller's club, scroll Iconclass 11H(JOACHIM) the father of Mary, Joachim; possible attributes: book, two doves, lamb, (shepherd's) staff Iconclass 11H(JOHN) the apostle John the Evangelist; possible attributes: book, cauldron, chalice with snake, eagle, palm, scroll Iconclass 11H(JOSEPH) the foster-father of Christ, Joseph of Nazareth, husband of Mary; possible attributes: flowering rod or wand, lily, carpenter's tools Iconclass 11H(JUDE THADDAEUS) the apostle Jude Thaddaeus; possible attributes: book, club, halberd, scroll Iconclass 11H(KLEOPHAS) male saints (KLEOPHAS) Iconclass 11H(SIMON) the apostle Simon Zelotes (or Simon the Canaanite); possible attributes: book, saw, scroll Iconclass 11H(ZEBEDEE) male saints (ZEBEDEE) Iconclass 11HH female saints Iconclass 11HH(ANNA) Anna, mother of Mary; possible attributes: book, Christ-child, lily, Virgin Mary Iconclass 11HH(MARY KLEOPHAS) Mary Kleophas, sister of the Virgin Mary, mother of James the Less ('Maria Jacobi'); possible attributes: jar of ointment Iconclass 11HH(MARY SALOME) Mary Salome, sister of the Virgin and mother of James the Great and John the Evangelist, also one of the midwives; possible attributes: jar of ointment Iconclass 11I73(SALOME) Salome (not in biblical context) Iconclass 22C311 nimbus, halo ~ radiance emanating from persons or things Iconclass 25G41 flowers Iconclass 25G41(ROSE) flowers: rose Iconclass 26A clouds Iconclass 31A311 eyeglasses, spectacles Iconclass 31A534 beard Iconclass 41A635 fenced or walled garden; 'Hortus Conclusus' Iconclass 41D221 head-gear Iconclass 41D221(HAT) head-gear: hat Iconclass 41D221(HEADSCARF) head-gear (HEADSCARF) Iconclass 41D26511 gold-thread embroidery Iconclass 41D2656 belt, girdle, waistband Iconclass 41D266 ornaments, jewels Iconclass 41D2665 brooch, agraffe, clasp Iconclass 41D2666 diadem, tiara Iconclass 41D267 purse, money-bag Iconclass 42A32(+0) feeding a baby (+ variant) Iconclass 49L71 scroll Iconclass 49L8 inscription Iconclass 49LL71 scroll - LL - scroll unfolded Iconclass 49MM32 book - MM - book open Iconclass 49N reading Iconclass 73 New Testament Iconclass 73A2 ancestors and parents of Christ Iconclass 73A22 Holy Kinship Iconclass 73A222 extended representations of 'Anna selbdritt' (Joseph and Joachim, three husbands, three daughters with seven children) Iconclass |
| School / Style | Early Netherlandish AAT |
| Catalogue du musée de peinture de la ville de Gand, 1900 / Louis Maeterlinck. - Gand : Imprimerie Victor Van Doosselaere, 1900 (nr. 31) |
| Inventaire archéologique de Gand : Catalogue descriptif et illustré des monuments, oeuvres d'art et documents antérieurs à 1830, publié par la Société d'Histoire et d'Archéologie de Gand. - Gand : N. Heins, 1897-1909 (nr. 568) |
| Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent : Catalogus schilderkunst ; Deel I: 14de - 18de eeuw ; Deel II: 19de - 20ste eeuw / Robert Hoozee, Johan De Smet, Bruno Fornari, Ruth Monteyne. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2007 (dl. I, p. 123 (ill.)) |
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