The Holy Family with Saint Joachim and Saint Anne

Art Historical Context

Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints collection, where Albrecht Dürer's *The Holy Family with Saint Joachim and Saint Anne* (1511) captivates with its intimate portrayal of sacred figures. This woodcut depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the Christ Child, flanked by Joseph, her parents Saints Joachim and Anne, evoking a tender extended Holy Family. Created at the height of Dürer's career during the Northern Renaissance, it reflects the era's deep devotion to religious iconography amid the looming Reformation. Dürer, a master printmaker from Nuremberg, revolutionized woodcuts—a medium traditionally coarser than engraving—through his exceptional technical precision. Using fine lines and intricate shading on a modest sheet (9 3/16 x 6 1/8 in.), he achieved remarkable depth and texture, making complex compositions accessible via affordable prints. This allowed widespread dissemination of devotional images to homes and churches across Europe. A generous gift from Junius Spencer Morgan in 1919, this work highlights Dürer's fusion of Italian Renaissance ideals with Germanic detail, underscoring woodcuts' role in democratizing art and faith in the early 16th century. Gaze closely to appreciate the saints' serene expressions and the child's divine glow—a timeless emblem of familial piety.

About the Artist

Albrecht Dürer · 1471–1528

Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) stands as the preeminent figure of the Northern Renaissance and arguably the most influential artist in the history of printmaking. Born in Nuremberg on May 21, 1471, and dying in the same city on April 6, 1528, Dürer revolutionized the status of the artist in Northern Europe, transforming printmaking from a commercial craft into an independent fine art and establishing ...