Artwork
The Holy Family
The Holy Family is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Lucas van Leyden. It dates from 1508 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Lucas van Leyden’s *The Holy Family* is an early 16th‑century engraving that presents a compact, intimate scene of a family group beneath a tree. Executed around 1508, the print measures the artist’s command of line and tonal variation to convey space and narrative within a modestly sized plate.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts three figures—a man in a long robe, a woman, and an infant—arranged in a gentle, protective grouping. The setting suggests a domestic interpretation of the biblical Holy Family, emphasizing familial tenderness rather than overtly dramatic religious symbolism.
Technique & Style
Van Leyden employs delicate, intersecting lines to model flesh and fabric, while cross‑hatching creates subtle shadows that give the figures volume. The background, rendered with lighter strokes, hints at a distant village, trees, and rocks, establishing depth through tonal contrast typical of Northern Renaissance engraving.
History & Provenance
Created by the Dutch artist who was among the first in the Netherlands to specialize in genre scenes and printmaking, the work reflects van Leyden’s early career, shortly after his birth in 1494. The print circulated among collectors of religious imagery in the Low Countries during the early 1500s.
Context
At the time of its production, engravings served both devotional and didactic purposes, allowing images of sacred subjects to reach a broader audience beyond painted altarpieces. Van Leyden’s choice of a modest, everyday setting aligns with contemporary trends that humanized holy figures for personal contemplation.
Artist & collection
Artist
Lucas van Leyden (1494 – 8 August 1533), was a Dutch painter and printmaker in engraving and woodcut. Lucas van Leyden was among the first Dutch exponents of genre painting and was a very accomplished engraver.
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Inner left wing of a diptych with Christ as the Man of Sorrows
Inner right wing of a diptych with the Virgin as Mater Dolorosa
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The Holy Family in a Landscape
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The Adoration of the Magi
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Saint Luke Drawing a Portrait of the Virgin
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The Adoration of the Magi
The Raising of Lazarus
The Lamentation
The Temptation of Saint Anthony