Peter Paul Rubens
Flemish, 1577­1640
The Holy Family with Saints Elizabeth
and John the Baptist
c. 1615
Oil on panel
114.5 x 91.5 cm
Major Acquisitions Endowment, 1967.229

This loving group shows the Holy Family, the infant Jesus sitting on his mother Mary’s lap, while his earthly father Joseph stands nearby. Saint Elizabeth, Mary's cousin, wearing a white head cloth, is shown as well as her child, Saint John the Baptist.

The artist provides clues that tell us who each person is. For example, a lamb is beside Saint John because the fourth gospel of the New Testament says that John looked toward Jesus and said, “There is the Lamb of God.” Mary’s sleeves are blue, the color of the heavens—a color she traditionally wears.