The Holy Family

Currently not on view

The Holy Family

c. 1508

Lucas van Leyden (Netherlandish (active Leiden), c. 1494–1533)

This print shows Joseph, Mary, and the infant Christ on their return from Egypt, at rest underneath a sheltering grove of trees. Like many artists before and after him, Lucas van Leyden presents a biblical subject in a setting filled with familiar local architecture and plants, and with the protagonists dressed in contemporary clothes. Such recognizable elements fostered a direct interaction between the early sixteenth-century viewer and the intimate narrative depicted.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

The Holy Family

Date:

c. 1508

Artist:

Lucas van Leyden (Netherlandish (active Leiden), c. 1494–1533)

Medium:

Engraving

Dimensions:

Plate: 7 15/16 x 5 13/16 inches (20.1 x 14.8 cm) Sheet: 8 1/8 x 6 1/8 inches (20.6 x 15.5 cm)

Classification:

Prints

Credit Line:

Gift of an anonymous donor, 2003

Accession Number:

2003-100-4

Geography:

Made in Leiden, Netherlands (historical name, 15th-16th century), Europe

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Currently not on view