Joachim and Anna with the Virgin Mary

In this painting, van Herp follows the medieval conventions of a continuous narrative by presenting two separate scenes in addition to the central scene of Joachim, Anna and their daughter Mary. According to the apocryphal Gospel of James, a high priest rejected Joachim’s offering in the temple because he was childless. A pious man, Joachim interpreted this as God’s displeasure and retreated from society to fast and repent. In the painting, the figure in the pastoral landscape on the left recounts Joachim’s prayerful search for consolation. On the right, a surprised Joachim kneels before the angel Gabriel while receiving the message from God that he will be a father. In the center, Joachim and Anna proudly present young Mary to the viewer. Above this Holy Family, a celestial chorus of angels and cherubs play instruments. Mary’s future role as the mother of Jesus is reinforced by the presence overhead of the Spirit of God in the form of a dove surrounded by heavenly light.

The warm palette and lively brushwork, here, are typical of van Herp. Though mostly small scale, he created religious, historical and mythological paintings, as well as high-and low-life genre scenes. He worked primarily in Antwerp, an important seventeenth-century center for painting on copper.