Albrecht Dürer. St. Anne with the Virgin and Child. 1519. Oil and tempera on canvas, transferre

St. Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary, is not mentioned in the New Testament. Her name appears for the first time in the Protevangelium of James, an apocryphal gospel of the second century. Anne was married to Joachim, she loved and respected her husband, but they were both deeply unhappy as they were childless. Once an angel appeared to Anne and said that she would give birth to a daughter, Mary. When Anne laughed bitterly in disbelief, the angel asked her to come next day to the Golden Gate, where as proof of his prophesy she was to meet her husband.
    The scene of Anne’s meeting with her husband, Joachim, at the Golden Gate of Jerusalem is most often shown in fine arts. The painters of the Renaissance liked to portray Anne with her daughter, the Virgin Mary, and the Infant. Another popular subject - Anne is teaching her daughter, Mary, to read.
Feast day: July 26 (with St. Joachim); July 25 in the East.

The Large Turf. 1503. Watercolour and gouache on paper. Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna, Austr

A Young Hare. 1502. Watercolour and gouache on paper. Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna, Austria

Lamentation for Christ. c.1500-1503. Oil on panel. Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany

Lamentation (also Deposition, Pieta) – after Jesus’ death, Joseph of Arimathea obtained Pilate's permission to bury His body. The closest people took the body from the cross, washed it and buried in a new tomb, not yet used for burial; and there, since it was the eve of the Jewish Sabbath, they laid Jesus. (John19:38-42).

Nuremberg Woman Dressed for Church. 1500. Pen and ink and watercolour on paper. Graphische Sammlung