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Notes
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Christ’s cousin, Saint John the Baptist, stands to his right. He points at Christ, an indication of his role as his forerunner – the one who foretold the significance of Christ’s life and death. The scroll that unfurls around his leg was originally inscribed with the words he spoke about Christ as he baptised him: Ecce Agnus Dei (Latin for ‘Behold the Lamb of God’, John 1: 29).
The Virgin appears to be standing within the well. This might be a reference to the ‘closed well’ described in Song of Solomon (4:12), which became a symbol of Mary’s virginity.
Title
The Holy Family with Saint John
Date
about 1500
Medium
Glue on canvas
Measurements
H 71.1 x W 50.8 cm
Accession number
NG5641
Acquisition method
Mond Bequest, 1924; entered the Collection in 1946
Work type
Painting