| Description |
This painting by an un-named seventeenth-century artist depicts the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, future mother of John the Baptist, as related in Luke 1. 39-57. The two protagonists are shown on the steps of a large classical building. Joseph, at the time still tormented by doubt over Mary's recently announced pregnancy, is included at the base of the steps with two winged infants, or putti. Formerly attributed to a painter of the Spanish school, this painting is now thought to be the work of a Flemish artist, possibly a follower of Simon de Vos. Gradual deterioration of the painted surface now obscures the quality of what would once have been a rather impressive picture. |
