Saint Anne with the Virgin and the Christ Child

The Master of Frankfurt's Saint Anne with the Virgin and the Christ Child, painted around 1511-1515, depicts the popular devotional subject of the Anna Selbdritt — three generations of the holy family. The Master of Frankfurt, named after two altarpieces in that city, was actually based in Antwerp and was one of the most productive painters of the early sixteenth-century Low Countries. His work bridges the late Gothic tradition with the emerging influence of the Italian Renaissance.

The oil on panel shows the Master's characteristic solid, rounded figure style and rich, warm coloring. The detailed rendering of textiles and the intimate, naturalistic setting reflect the Antwerp school's combination of Flemish precision with a new sense of monumental form.