Who painted Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saint Anne?

Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saint Anne was painted by Master NA.DAT with the Mousetrap in 1512.

Where can I see Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saint Anne?

Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saint Anne is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saint Anne?

Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saint Anne is associated with Renaissance.

Artwork

Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saint Anne

Master NA.DAT with the Mousetrap , 1512

Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saint Anne is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Master NA.DAT with the Mousetrap. It dates from 1512 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saint Anne is an early sixteenth‑century engraving, dated to around 1512, attributed to the anonymous master known as NA.DAT with the Mousetrap. Executed on paper, the print presents a devotional scene centered on the Virgin Mary seated on a throne, holding the infant Christ, with Saint Anne positioned behind them.

Subject & Meaning

The composition depicts the Holy Family in a hierarchical arrangement: Mary and the Child occupy the foreground, while Saint Anne, the Virgin’s mother, leans forward in a supportive role. Flanking the central figures are winged angels, and the surrounding architectural frame suggests a sacred space, reinforcing the theological emphasis on lineage and intergenerational sanctity.

Technique & Style

The image is rendered through fine, intersecting lines that create tonal variation, a method known as cross‑hatching. This approach allows the artist to model volume and depth on a flat surface, a hallmark of Renaissance printmaking that sought to emulate the chiaroscuro effects of painting within the limits of black‑ink engraving.

History & Provenance

Attributed to the enigmatic Master NA.DAT with the Mousetrap, the work belongs to a group of prints circulated among Northern European workshops in the early 1500s. Surviving copies are held in several institutional collections, indicating that the engraving was reproduced and disseminated as a devotional object during its period.

Context

Produced at a time when print media expanded the reach of religious imagery, the engraving reflects contemporary devotional practices that favored accessible, portable images of the Virgin and her family. Its architectural framing and inclusion of angels align with broader Renaissance visual conventions that blended sacred narrative with classical motifs.