#st anne

Nativity of the Virgin - Unknown

N.B. (from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s description):

In all probability this unusual sculpture of the recumbent Saint Anne lying on the birthing bed with the swaddled Virgin Mary came from the predella (lower section) of the late gothic altarpiece dedicated to Saint Anne in the parish church at Ebern. This altarpiece was dismantled in 1703 and replaced with a Baroque one. Although the Nativity sculpture was retained, the legs, head- and tailboards of the bed were subsequently cut away, presumably to fit the sculpture into a different framework. Likewise, as evidenced by the two areas of bare wood in front of the swaddled child, two kneeling angels-probably holding a crown over the child’s head-were also removed; remnants of the right angel’s wing are apparent. The sculpture subsequently served as a devotional image, indicated by the many candle burns along the front edge. Much of the original paint has been preserved as well as appliqués simulating a brocaded pattern on the mantle of Saint Anne. Made of wax resins overlaid with a silver foil, stamped, and colored with paint and glazes, these appliqués were in wide use in the late fifteenth century, particularly in Germany. The pliant wax resin easily conformed to the complex drapery folds giving the sculpture a further degree of finish.

Study of St Anne, Mary, the Christ Child and the young St John; 1501

Saint Anne‏ from Faras Cathedral, Lower Nubian (contemporary Sudan) medieval kingdom of Makuria (=old Nubia), c. 8th-9th century, tempera on mud dry plaster (Secco), 69 x 68,5 cm, the National Museum, Warsaw.