Recto: Joachim and the Angel; Verso, in upper right hand corner: three figures with loose draperies 1582

This is a pen and black ink drawing by Anton Möller the Elder, probably made in the late 16th century in what is now Germany. It depicts the scene in which the angel announces to Joachim that his wife Anne will bear a child. The landscape background, complete with grazing sheep, echoes contemporary paintings. Möller’s drawing testifies to how artists were participating in a culture of printmaking and the proliferation of images at this time. Religious imagery became increasingly common in domestic settings in the 16th century, used for personal devotion in the home. Möller worked in a period of intense religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants, and historical sources indicate that he changed his religious affiliation several times. It is hard to know what he truly believed, but a knowledge of the religious history of Northern Europe can help us to better understand the appeal of an image like this one. As art historians, we can consult the records of religious institutions of the time, and the writings of leading theologians, to try to understand the social function of this drawing.