Joachim en Anna ontmoeten elkaar bij de poort 1520

Sebald Beham created this engraving, "Joachim en Anna ontmoeten elkaar bij de poort", in the 16th century, a time when religious art served as a powerful tool for shaping social and moral values. Beham was one of the German Little Masters, known for their small-scale, detailed prints. Here, we see the emotional reunion of Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Virgin Mary, after a long period of separation due to their childlessness. Consider how the embrace, rendered in the intimate scale of the engraving, invites viewers into a personal, almost voyeuristic experience of the sacred. The architecture frames the figures, but it’s their embrace, the converging lines of their bodies, that commands our attention. In a society deeply concerned with lineage and legacy, the narrative of Joachim and Anna offered hope and resilience to those facing similar social stigmas. By focusing on this deeply personal moment, Beham humanizes the divine, making it accessible and profoundly relatable.