The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth

1503

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

The Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth is a 1503 by Jacopo de' Barbari, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Jacopo de' Barbari
When & what style?: 1503 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see four holy figures in a strange, empty landscape: Mary, baby Jesus, Elizabeth, and young John the Baptist. The trees here aren’t just scenery. The dead ones stand for Elizabeth’s old age—she was past childbearing when God gave her a son. The fence around them is a symbol of virginity, a quiet nod to the miracle of their births. For more paintings like this, look up *sfumato*.

The story of this work

Overview

While this landscape might seem desolate and strange, it is rife with religious symbolism. The Virgin Mary and Christ on the right sit with Mary’s cousin, Saint Elizabeth, and her son, Saint John the Baptist. The Bible describes Elizabeth as past childbearing age; both she and Mary were granted virgin births by God. The barren trees, therefore, signify Elizabeth’s infertility, while the fencelike enclosure denotes the enclosed garden of virginity. The trees also remind viewers of Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden. Jacopo de’ Barbari placed lively grapevines on the dying trees, a metaphor for…

Did you know?

Before scholars identified all the works of Jacopo de' Barbari by name, he was called "Master of the Caduceus" for the symbol of a Mercury's staff with which he often signed his prints, seen here at lower right.

Read the full account in the museum source.