The Holy Family with Saints Elizabeth and John the Baptist

c. 1615

Here, Rubens presented a distinctly human take on the figures of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. They lack the halos that often identify them, and the adult characters wear contemporary Flemish attire. Mary’s exposed breast brings to mind Jesus’s need for physical nourishment as the human son of God. Her central placement underscores the growing veneration of Mary in the Catholic community of the Spanish Netherlands.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640)

Date

c. 1615

Medium

Oil on panel

Dimensions

114.5 × 91.5 cm (45 1/8 × 36 in.); Framed: 137.8 × 115.6 × 12.7 cm (54 1/4 × 45 1/2 × 5 in.)

Origin

Flanders

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Major Acquisitions Fund