Minneapolis Institute of Art

The Holy Family with St. Elizabeth and the Infant St. John the Baptist

Elisabetta Sirani

Date

1655–65

Medium

Etching

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

As a highly skilled woman artist in the 17th century, Elisabetta Sirani was a phenomenon. People came from great distances to see her in her hometown of Bologna. As a girl she was already considered a prodigy due to her fine drawings and paintings. Her father was a principal assistant to Guido Reni, the town’s leading artist; so, she had early exposure to serious artistic endeavor. In this sober scene of the Holy Family, several elements foreshadow the fate of Mary and her son. She sits on a bed, a piece of furniture closely associated with images of her death. Joseph’s woodworking may allude to the cross, and the cloth being rolled by Elizabeth to Christ’s entombment. Italy, Europe

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