Anna Selbdritt avec saint Augustin

The Master of 1518 painted this Anna Selbdritt with Saint Augustine around 1518, combining the Sacred Kinship composition—Anne, Mary, and the Christ Child—with the presence of the Augustinian order's founding theologian. The combination of the Trinitarian family group with a specific order's patron suggests an Augustinian commission, the order's spiritual claim on the composition made explicit through Augustine's presence. This anonymous Antwerp master brought his characteristic decorative elaboration to the standard devotional type, the architectural setting and the costume detail of the figures showing the Antwerp Mannerist's preference for ornamental complexity. The Anna Selbdritt type was particularly popular in the Netherlands where devotion to Saint Anne as grandmother of Christ had been institutionally organized through the confraternities of Saint Anne.

The composition combines the traditional triple-generation grouping with the Church Father Augustine. The Antwerp workshop style is evident in the refined technique and the blend of decorative richness with devotional gravity.