Artwork
Shrine of Saint Anne and the Holy Kinship
Shrine of Saint Anne and the Holy Kinship is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1450 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As an anonymous creation, the piece functions as a devotional object representing the theological importance of Anne's role in salvation history.
The work is a religious painting from 1450 that visually narrates the lineage of Jesus Christ through the Holy Kinship. Its iconography centers on Saint Anne, the matriarch, alongside the Virgin Mary and Jesus, establishing the sacred genealogy. The composition further incorporates the apostles, situating the holy family within the broader context of the early Christian church.
As an anonymous creation, the piece functions as a devotional object representing the theological importance of Anne's role in salvation history. The gathering of these specific figures underscores the sanctity of the familial bonds that produced the Messiah, a common theme in mid-15th-century religious art intended to inspire veneration of the holy lineage.
Technique & Style
The work is classified as a painting dating to 1450 and is attributed to an anonymous hand. It is a religious composition that illustrates Saint Anne together with the apostle, the infant Jesus, and the Virgin Mary, forming the Holy Kinship. The subject matter reflects the devotional emphasis of mid‑15th‑century art, and the piece is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection.
As a painting, it employs pigment applied to a support typical of panel painting of the period, though the exact support material is not specified in the documentation.
History & Provenance
The Shrine of Saint Anne and the Holy Kinship is dated to circa 1450 based on its stylistic placement within the Northern Renaissance tradition. The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of an anonymous gift, reflecting its prior ownership by a private collector before acquisition by the museum. Its religious genre and iconography, depicting Saint Anne, the Virgin Mary, and the Christ Child alongside apostolic figures, align with devotional practices of the mid-15th century, suggesting it was commissioned for private or ecclesiastical use during that period.
The Shrine of Saint Anne and the Holy Kinship is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is located within the museum's premises. Originating around 1450, this anonymous religious painting depicts Saint Anne, the apostles, Jesus Christ, and Mary. The provided sources confirm its current institutional home but do not supply a specific inventory or accession number, nor do they document any past or future exhibition history for the work.
Overview
This artwork, titled Shrine of Saint Anne and the Holy Kinship, is a meticulously carved wooden panel depicting a gathering of figures. A central individual occupies a throne, surrounded by others in various poses. The entire composition is framed by elaborate gold details and intricate patterns, suggesting its original purpose as a significant devotional object within a religious setting, likely intended for close contemplation.
Artist & collection
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