Artwork
Virgin and Child with young John the Baptist and Saint Catherine
Virgin and Child with young John the Baptist and Saint Catherine is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Hans Rottenhammer. It dates from 1604 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, with the young John the Baptist and Saint Catherine of Alexandria standing nearby. Catherine is identified by her traditional attributes of a broken wheel and martyr’s palm, symbols of her virginity and martyrdom. The composition emphasizes the holy family’s tenderness and the intercessory role of the saints within a devotional context.
Technique & Style
The composition features the Virgin and Child accompanied by the young John the Baptist and Saint Catherine of Alexandria.
Executed in 1604 by Hans Rottenhammer, this religious painting utilizes oil paint applied directly onto a copper support. The work measures 35.5 cm in height and 28 cm in width. The composition features the Virgin and Child accompanied by the young John the Baptist and Saint Catherine of Alexandria.
The choice of copper as a substrate was characteristic of Rottenhammer's practice, allowing for fine detail and a luminous surface quality typical of his small-scale devotional works from this period.
History & Provenance
The Virgin and Child with young John the Baptist and Saint Catherine by Hans Rottenhammer is dated 1604 and executed in oil on copper. The work entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum under the Kabinet van Heteren Gevers designation. It was previously owned by Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers, whose collection formed the core of the Kabinet van Heteren Gevers at the Rijksmuseum.
The painting Virgin and Child with young John the Baptist and Saint Catherine by Hans Rottenhammer is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It resides specifically within the Kabinet van Heteren Gevers, a holding named after its former owner, Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers. The work was created in 1604 and executed in oil on copper, measuring 35.5 cm in height and 28 cm in width. The provided sources do not list any specific exhibitions where this artwork has been displayed.
Overview
Hans Rottenhammer’s 1604 oil painting on copper presents a compact, highly finished grouping of sacred figures. The Virgin Mary cradles the infant Christ, while the youthful John the Baptist reaches toward them, and Saint Catherine of Alexandria stands nearby. The scene unfolds against a luminous, cloud‑filled sky, with additional childlike figures and a small dog adding narrative detail. The work belongs to the Rijksmuseum’s collection.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Johann Rottenhammer, or Hans Rottenhammer (1564 – 14 August 1625), was a German painter. He specialized in highly finished paintings on a small scale.
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