Artwork
The Holy Family with the Infant St John, St Elizabeth and St Anna

The Holy Family with the Infant St John, St Elizabeth and St Anna is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Vincent Sellaer. It dates from 1550 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
The Holy Family with the Infant St John, St Elizabeth and St Anna is a 16th-century oil painting created by Flemish Renaissance artist Vincent Sellaer around 1550. The work combines Italian early Baroque influences with northern European stylistic elements.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a serene gathering of Christian figures: the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, infant Saint John the Baptist, his mother Saint Elizabeth, and Saint Anna. The composition conveys a sense of calm devotion among the holy family and their relatives.
Technique & Style
Sellaer employed chiaroscuro to create a peaceful atmosphere, with soft, glowing light accentuating the figures' faces and hands, set against a dark background. The clothing features gentle, realistic folds, blending northern attention to detail with Italian compositional harmony.
History & Provenance
The painting is part of the collection at Statens Museum for Kunst, though specific details of its creation context or earlier ownership are not provided in the available information.
Context
Created during the early Baroque period, the work reflects the artistic exchange between Flemish and Italian schools, characteristic of the Renaissance's later phase.
Legacy
While specific influences or notable reproductions of the painting are not detailed, it remains a representative example of the blended stylistic approaches of its time, preserved for study in a major museum collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Vincent Sellaer (1490–1564), was a Flemish Renaissance painter known for his mythological and religious subjects. His works stand out through their monumentality of form and their mixing of Italian and northern styles.














