Virgin and Child with Saint Anne

Bartlomiej Strobel's Virgin and Child with Saint Anne of 1639 places him within the broad Counter-Reformation tradition of depicting the Holy Family's extended matrilineal line. The Joachimite tradition — emphasizing Anne's role as grandmother of Christ and prototype of holy maternity — had been a target of Protestant critique, which made depicting Anne in Catholic art a subtle affirmation of traditional doctrine. Strobel's work for Polish and Central European Catholic patrons naturally included such theologically loaded subjects.

The three generations are arranged in a tender intergenerational grouping with Anne guiding Mary's interaction with the Christ child. Strobel uses warm, domestic lighting to create an intimate atmosphere, rendering the figures with the Baroque directness characteristic of his Central European training.