De H. Anna-te-Drieën

Joos van Cleve painted this Saint Anne with Virgin and Child (Anna Selbdritt) around 1518 for the Galleria Estense. The three-generation holy matrilineage was one of the most popular devotional subjects in both Netherlandish and German art. Joos van Cleve was a leading Antwerp painter who synthesized Flemish panel painting tradition with Italian Renaissance influence, making him one of the most sought-after Netherlandish masters of his generation.

The panel shows Joos van Cleve's refined technique with warm flesh tones, careful rendering of the generational differences, and the intimate domestic mood characteristic of his devotional compositions.