De Heilige Familie met de heilige Anna en drie engelen 1660 - 1680

Marcantonio Bellavia created this engraving, "The Holy Family with Saint Anne and Three Angels," sometime in the 17th century. Bellavia was working during the Baroque period, a time when the Catholic Church was trying to reassert its influence after the Protestant Reformation. Images of the Holy Family served as powerful symbols of traditional values. Here, we see Mary, Joseph, and Anne, the mother of Mary, gathered around the infant Jesus, watched over by angels. In a patriarchal society, the image of the Holy Family reinforces the importance of lineage and the roles of men and women within the family structure. Yet, there is also a tenderness in the depiction, a sense of intimacy and shared devotion that transcends the strict social norms of the time. This engraving provides a window into the complex interplay of faith, family, and identity in Baroque-era Europe.