Holy Family with Saint Elisabeth

Bloemaert depicted the Holy Family, alone or with other figures, multiple times throughout his career. Some of these works, like the present study, are small, finished drawings that were likely sold as independent works to private collectors as devotional images. Bolten dates this drawing to approximately 1645-1650. The scholar emphasizes the enduring influence of Goltzius' engraving of The Holy Family, after Spranger, of 1589 on Bloemaert's interpretation of the theme.