DescriptionPhilip Fruytiers attr. Saint Joachim and Saint Anne offer the Child Mary to the Holy Trinity Oil on alabaster cm 25x31 The painting depicts a theologically complex scene. Saints Joachim and Anne offer their newborn daughter, the Virgin Mary, to the Trinity to emphasize her consecration to God from birth. Around them are little angels holding a cartouche on which is written "Nativitas tua Virgo Maria Gaudium Universo Mundo" (your Nativity, Virgin Mother of God, has brought joy to the whole world). The phrase is taken from an antiphon of Vespers recited for the nativity of Mary on September 8th. There is a print of this painting, engraved in the same direction, by the Flemish painter and engraver Philip Fruytiers. We also attribute this delicate and rare painting on alabaster to Fruytiers. ... this painting, as stated in the long inscription at the base of the engraving, was created in a Jesuit context and under the direct commission of the Order. Stylistically, the comparison with his altarpiece with the triumph of Saint Angelo in the church of Gistel in Belgium is significant. The elegant painter and engraver from Antwerp also distinguished himself for his small-format production, often executed on paper or parchment with the aid of tempera and watercolors. These are works, like the one under study here, characterized by a meticulous, delicate, and accurate brushstroke. From the critical essay by Dr. Arabella Cifani The painting is accompanied by: Expertise Dr. Arabella Cifani Dimensions cm 25x31 Provenance Private collection Conditions Defects and restorations.