The Angel Appearing to Saint Anne
Probably Haarlem, Holland, the second quarter of the 17th century
Oil on wood
38.7 x 29.8 cm
Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, is barren and she prays for a child.
An angel appears to announce that her petition has been answered and she is pregnant with a daughter. The story of Anne and her husband Joachim does not feature in the New Testament; instead, it was taken from a body of writing known as the apocrypha, a rich source of religious legend.
De Grebber was a Catholic artist living in Protestant Holland. He painted religious scenes for patrons in Flanders and the secret Catholic churches of Holland.
Purchased 1951 (No.51.2)
