Holy Family of Jesus Christ
n.d.
Medium
Engraving on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 39.7 × 30.2 cm (15 11/16 × 11 15/16 in.); Plate: 44.5 × 31.1 cm (17 9/16 × 12 1/4 in.); Sheet: 50.4 × 38.3 cm (19 7/8 × 15 1/8 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
138211
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Gérard Edelinck’s “Holy Family of Jesus Christ” is a finely detailed engraving that captures a timeless religious subject with remarkable precision. Created on laid paper, the work measures just under 16 by 12 inches in the image area, showcasing the intimate scale often favored for devotional prints. As an engraving, it represents a medium prized for its ability to reproduce intricate lines and tonal depth, allowing sacred imagery to reach wider audiences beyond the original painting or drawing. Edelinck, a Flemish-born master engraver active in France, was renowned for his technical virtuosity in translating painted compositions into print. His engravings often served as important vehicles for disseminating religious and historical themes during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, when such works helped shape popular devotion and artistic taste across Europe. Housed in the Prints and Drawings department of the Art Institute of Chicago, this sheet highlights the enduring cultural role of reproductive prints in preserving and sharing stories of faith. The careful rendering of the Holy Family invites quiet contemplation, reflecting how engravings like this bridged elite art collections and everyday spiritual life.