De heilige familie met Johannes de Doper 1638 - 1702

Pieter van Schuppen created this print of the Holy Family with John the Baptist sometime in the 17th century. Van Schuppen worked in Paris, where he was a member of the Académie Royale. The image depicts Mary, Jesus, Joseph, and John the Baptist in an intimate, domestic scene. The composition is an oval portrait which gives a familial and enclosed feel to the depicted figures. The young John the Baptist kisses the foot of the infant Christ, thus acknowledging Jesus’s divinity. While the scene is tender it also represents prevailing religious and social hierarchies. The print reflects the period’s religious devotion, yet also subtly reinforces prevailing patriarchal structures. The image invites us to consider the complex ways that faith, family, and power intertwine.