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St. Anne teaching the Virgin to read, stained glass panel, Netherlandish or early German?, 16th century
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St. Anne teaching the Virgin to read, stained glass panel, Netherlandish or early German?, 16th century
Clear glass and brown paint, yellow stain
Height: 150mm, approximate
Width: 80mm, approximate
Width: 80mm, approximate
Museum number: SG2
On display: Entrance Hall
All spaces are in No. 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields unless identified as in No. 12, Soane's first house.
For tours https://www.soane.org/your-visit
Curatorial note
St Anne, wearing a long hood or cloak, stands holding an open book. The young Mary, shown with long flowing locks, stands in front to one side and together they point to a word on the open page. Simple architectural detail surrounds the scene at the top and right. With its identical border, this is possibly one of a pair with CAT. 4, Saint Cecilia, and both are treated as such in their symmetrical placement in the fanlight. The plump facial features and the head-dress of St Anne may indicate a German origin. Shading has been achieved by lines lightly scratched through a thin matt of brown paint.
The education of the Virgin derives from The Golden Legend, drawing on the apocryphal Gospels, and was a favourite theme in Counter-Reformation art.
The education of the Virgin derives from The Golden Legend, drawing on the apocryphal Gospels, and was a favourite theme in Counter-Reformation art.
Literature
Catalogue of the Stained Glass in Sir John Soane's Museum, Special Issue of the Journal of Stained Glass 2004, p. 134
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