Houten sculptuur van de heilige Anna before 1889

This wooden sculpture of Saint Anne was created in the fifteenth century by an unknown artist. It captures Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, seated regally with Mary and the infant Jesus. The sculpture reflects a significant shift in religious devotion during the late Middle Ages. The cult of Saint Anne gained popularity, emphasizing her role as the matriarch of the Holy Family. The choice of wood as a medium was common in Northern Europe, allowing for detailed carving and a tactile connection with the sacred figure. The sculpture originally belonged to the collection of the Counts of Beaufort, highlighting the role of the aristocracy in commissioning and preserving religious art. The very fact that it was collected and displayed is a reminder that the meaning of art changes over time, as it moves from places of worship to private and eventually public collections. To fully understand this work, we would need to examine period sermons, guild records, and inventories of aristocratic collections. Only then can we grasp the sculpture’s original function and how its meaning has evolved over centuries.