Virgin and Child with St. Anne 1663 - 1707

Editor: Here we have Joachim Henne’s "Virgin and Child with St. Anne", a marble relief sculpture from the late 17th or early 18th century, held here at the SMK. The details achieved in the drapery are amazing but, overall, the depiction seems rather serious. What is your take on this artwork? Curator: The somber tone you've noted can be considered as deeply connected with the period’s complex relationship to religious imagery and its function within the public sphere. We see these figures, traditionally associated with tenderness and familial love, rendered in a somewhat austere style. Think about how the Baroque era used religious art – what messages did it send, and to whom? Editor: It makes me think about the function of religious art beyond devotion… more like, visually communicating established societal values, or maybe even reaffirming authority. Curator: Exactly. Sculptures like this weren’t just about faith, but about consolidating power, displaying wealth, and constructing ideal family roles. Consider also where such a relief might have been placed, and how its viewers might have interpreted its visual cues, say, of status. Editor: So the very *style* is part of the messaging, making the family seem formal, powerful, and perhaps deliberately unapproachable. It challenges our contemporary expectation of religious art evoking comfort. Curator: Precisely! This relief is less a window into the private emotions of a family and more a projection of an ideal, dictated by social expectations and religious doctrine. Can you see any indications that this family could be viewed by people as aspirational during the Baroque era? Editor: Now that you mention it, the lavish use of drapery would signify money and stature. The figures being immortalized into marble must have required a significant amount of wealth, skill and time. Thank you, this was a fascinating conversation! Curator: It's been my pleasure. It’s essential to consider not just the beauty or skill within the art, but the historical narratives that such objects carry within their materiality and design.