The Holy Family

The engraving was dedicated to Jacob Chimarcheus, a Dutch poet, Imperial almoner and Provost of Litoměřice. The lyrical scene, portraying the Virgin Mary holding Baby Jesus in her arms, with St Joseph and the Infant John the Baptist in the foreground facing them, is depicted with remarkable attention to the play of light and shade. While the angel in the background is immersed in the dark, the figures in the foreground, particularly the head of the Virgin, are flooded with sharp light falling from the left side from an undetermined source. The print’s stylistic character suggests Spranger’s inspiration in Italian art, especially the work of Federico Barocci. Conversely, the Eucharistic and symbolic still−life shows Dutch influences.