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Attributed
to the Painter of Add.MS.15677, Anna Selbdritt
from
a Book of Hours
Flemish,
c.1500
Cambridge,
Fitzwilliam Museum
MS
Marlay Cutting G.7a
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July 26th is the feast day of Saints Anne and Joachim, the parents of the Virgin Mary and the grandparents of Jesus. They, especially St. Anne, have been important saints for most of the life of the Church and frequently featured in Christian art.
Over several years I have posted various images of Saints Anne and Joachim. The number keeps growing because, as the internet becomes a more widely available tool, the number of museums and libraries that are making their collections available online keeps growing. Further, museums and libraries that made their collections available several years ago continue to release more material from their holdings as they keep adding to their online presence. Since Anne and Joachim have been important for so long, we are still only seeing the tip of the iceberg of images that probably exist.
Each year I propose to continue to add to the collection of images available through this blog as new ones become accessible. I will link these images with the essays about their iconological type which I did in 2011. Just click on the heading of each section to link to the appropriate essay.
In addition, this year I came across several images that fit into none of the categories I previously suggested. I have, therefore, created a new category called "Parental Love". Like pictures that imagine the life of Jesus as a boy in His home in Nazareth, these images imagine the relationship between Mary, as a little girl, and her parents.
So, now I present the 2017 additions to the iconography of Saint Anne. Each section heading is also a link to the original article which explains the iconography. Click on the section headings to learn more.
Announcing Mary's Birth
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| Joachim's Offering Is Rejected Part of Altarpiece of the Virgin Mary Dalmatian or Venetian, c. 1400 London, National Gallery |
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| The Angel Announces Mary's Birth to Saint Joachim Part of Altarpiece of the Virgin Dalmatian or Venetian, c. 1400 London, National Gallery |
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| The Expulsion of Saint Joachim from the Temple Netherlandish or German, c. 1475-1500 Philadelphia, Museum of Art |
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| Gaudenzio Ferrari, Ejection of Joachim from the Temple Italian, c. 1500-1510 Turin, Galleria Sabauda |
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| Marcantonio Raimondi after Albrecht Durer Annunciation to Saint Joachim Italian, 1506 Philadelphia, Museum of Art |
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| Albrecht Altdorfer, Annunciation to Saint Joachim German, 1515 Philadelphia, Museum of Art |
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| Bernardino Luini, Annunciation to Saint Anne, with Saint Joachim and the Angel in the Background Italian, c. 1520-1521 Milan, Pinacoteca di Brera |
The Meeting at the Golden Gate
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| Meeting at the Golden Gate Part of Altarpiece of the Virgin Mary Dalmatian or Venetian, c. 1400 London, National Gallery
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| Saint Anne and Saint Joachim at the Golden Gate German, c. 1430-1450 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Nicolas Dipre, Meeting at the Golden Gate French, c. 1500 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
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| Albrecht Altdorfer, Meeting at the Golden Gate German, c. 1515 Paris, Musée du Louvre This is one of the most emotion-charged images of the subject that I have ever seen. |
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| Bernardino Luini, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne Meeting at the Golden Gate Italian, c. 1520-1521 Milan, Pinacoteca di Brera |
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| Pietro Lorenzetti, Birth of the Virgin Mary Italian, 1342 Siena, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo |
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| Birth of Mary Part of the Altarpiece of the Virgin Dalmatian or Venetian, c. 1400 London, National Gallery |
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| Presentation of Mary in the Temple Byzantine (Constantinople), 10th Century Berlin, Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin |
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| Michael Healy, St. Anne and the Virgin Mary with Two Angels Irish, c.1925 Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland |
Parental Love
This is the new category of pictures that I mentioned above. In these images artists have tried to capture their imagining of what may have been the relationship between the young Mary and her older parents. They present charming scenes that allow us to speculate that, where there is love, the relationship between small children and their parents is, in general, a constant thing, no matter the level of society and the era of history. These images also are more likely to include, or even to focus on, the relationship of Mary with her father, Joachim.
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| After Abraham van Diepenbeeck, Saint Joachim and the Child Mary Flemish, c. 1700 London, British Museum
This is one of the most charming and sensitive images of the love between parent and child that I have ever seen. Mary's confiding look as she rushes into her father's arms and his gentle smile in response are totally disarming. She is definitely Daddy's little girl here.
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| Pedro Laboria, Saint Joachim and the Virgin Mary as a Child Spanish, 1746 Bogota, Museo del Arte Colonial What parent, or even what casual observer, hasn't seen this scene played out many times! |
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| Francesco Solimena, Saints Anne and Joachim with the Virgin Italian, 18th Century Private Collection |
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| Johann Melchior Wyrsch, Childhood of the Virgin Swiss, 1770 Beasancon, Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archeologie This image emphasizes the advanced age of the couple. |
Saint Anne as Mary's Teacher (The Education of the Virgin)
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| The Education of the Virgin, Saints Anne and Joachim with a Donor From the Salisbury Psalter English (Salisbury), c. 1350-1375 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 765, fol. 7
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| Attributed to the Master of Saint Benedict, The Education of the Virgin German, c. 1510 Philadelphia, Museum of Art
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| Workshop of Laurent de LaHyre, The Education of the Virgin French, c. 1640-1656 Rouen, Musée des Beaux-Arts |
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| Juan Carreño de Miranda, Saint Anne Teaching the Virgin to Read Spanish, 1674 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Ramon Amadeu, Saint Anne and the Virgin as a Child Spanish, c.1775-1780 Barcelona, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya |
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| Michel Healy, Saint Anne Teaching the Virgin to Read Irish, c.1910 Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland |
Anne, the Root of the Tree of Salvation (the Anna Selbdritt)
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| Niccolo Alunno, Saint Anne with the Madonna and Child Enthroned Italian, c. 1458-1461 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert Lehman Collection
This is particularly interesting in being an early Italian version of the "bench type Anna Selbdritt" image, more typical of northern Europe.
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| Anna Selbdritt with Christ Stripped of His Garments in the Background German (Westphalian), c. 1486-1500 Cologne, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud |
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| Master of the Saint John Panels, Anna Selbdritt with Saint Francis and Saint Lidwina with Donors Dutch, c. 1490-1500 Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
The donors are obviously a family group. The small figures in reddish robes kneeling in front of the enthroned figures of Saint Anne, the Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus likely represent children of the family who died in infancy or early childhood. In the eternal "now" of God they are joined with their living family members and with the saints in paying homage to the Holy Family, as, by extension, so are those, living and dead and yet unborn, who view this painting with the same prayerful devotion. So, in addition to being an "Anna Selbdritt" this image also demonstrates the Communion of Saints. |
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| Bartholomeus Zeitblom, Predella panel with Anna Selbdritt and Saints Barbara, Margaret of Antioch, Dorothy and Mary Magdalene German, c. 1511 Augsburg, Staatsgalerie in der Katherinenkerk |
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| Anna Selbdritt Flemish (Mechelen), c. 1520 Philadelphia, Museum of Art |
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| Master of the Biperach Kindred, Anna Selbdritt German, c. 1520 Munich, Bayerisches Nationalmsueum |
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| Anonymous, Anna Selbdritt with Saints of the House of Habsburg Flemish_c.1625-1628 Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum |
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| Anonymous, Anna Selbdritt French, 17th Century Rennes, Musée des Beaux-Arts |
Saint Anne, Grandmother
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| Albrecht Dürer, Holy Family with Saints Joachim and Anne German, 1511 Boston, Museum of Fine Arts |
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| Hans Baldung Grien, Saint Anne with the Christ Child, the Virgin and Saint John the Baptist German, c. 1511 Washington, National Gallery of Art |
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| Jacques Blanchard, Madonna and Child with Saint Anne Offering an Apple French, c. 1625-1630 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
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| Giovanni Battista Beinaschi, Holy Family with Saints Anne and Joachim Italian, 1670s Private Collection |
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| Hendrik van Limborch, Holy Family with the Virgin's Parents Dutch, 1718 Paris, Musée du Louvre
Saint Anne is hard to find in this picture, which has probably been darkened by aging varnish. Her face is to be found in the dark space between Mary and her father, Joachim. Saint Anne's hand appears just above the head of the Infant Jesus, as she tries to shield Him from being hurt by what looks like a baby-rattle in the hand of the infant Saint John the Baptist.
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St. Anne in the Communion of Saints
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| Giovanni Piemontese, Anna Selbdritt with the Archangel Michael and Saints Catherine of Alexandria, Mary Magdalene and Francis of Assisi Italian, 1471 Berlin, Gemäldegalerie der Staatliche Museen zu Berlin |
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| Alvise Vivarini. Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints Louis of Toulouse, Anthony of Padua, Anne, Joachim, Francis of Assisi and Bernardino of Siena Italian, 1480 Venice, Gallerie dell'Accademia |
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| Andrea Previtali Baglioni, Madonna and Child with Saints Joachim and Anne Italian, c. 1515-1520 Bergamo, Accademia Carrara |
Novena Prayer to Saint Anne
"O glorious St. Ann, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.
Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen."
© M. Duffy, 2017
