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Although it was not declared a dogma until 1854, the belief that the Virgin Mary was conceived without sin, sine macula, was already widely spread in the Middle Ages. This explains the special devotion for her parents, Anne and Joachim (not mentioned in the Bible), reflected in numerous works of art of the period. Besides the representations of the meeting between Anne and Joachim beneath the Golden Gate and of the birth of the Blessed Virgin, images with St Anne holding her daughter Mary and her grandson Jesus Christ have been documented in Germany as early as the 13th century. Seated images initially prevailed, but numerous standing figures like this sculpture were produced in the 15th century and early 16th century. The context of this kind of works was usually simple; nevertheless, this one seems to have been placed alongside other figures on an altarpiece box.

The sculpture is designed to be viewed from the front; it has a hollow back, which reduces both its weight and the risk of cracks in the wood; the old beautiful polychromy obeys the same purpose. Despite having been partially restored at a later date, it still preserves its original appearance. Most outstanding are the remains of the imitation of a rich brocade with gold thread achieved by applying fine sheets of embossed metal.

The original provenance of the work is unknown, but its style suggests it came from Ulm, the most important art centre in 15th-century Swabia. To be precise, the facial types of the three figures derive from a tradition established by Michel Erhart, who by the end of the century had become the most important sculptor of the city. However, they are still closer to the style of a slightly younger artist, Niklaus Weckmann, whose large and prolific workshop was the main centre of sculpture production in Ulm in the first decades of the 16th century. This figure of St Anne seems to have been made by an artist in his circle. [Matthias Weniger]

Selected bibliography

• Lasterra, Crisanto de. Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao : catálogo descriptivo : sección de arte antiguo. Bilbao, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 1969. p. 160, n° cat. 387. (Con el título Santa Ana, la Virgen y el Niño, y como Anónimo Alemán del siglo XV)
• Sánchez-Lassa de los Santos, Ana. "Conservación y restauración en el Museo", Urtekaria 1983 : asterlanak, albistak = Anuario 1983 : estudios, crónicas. 1984. pp. 11-30.
• Hernández-Redondo, José Ignacio. "La Santa Ana Triple : una obra Suaba asignable al Taller de Michel Erhart, escultor de Ulm". 1991. Urtekaria 1990 : asterlanak, albistak = anuario 1990 : estudios, crónicas . pp. 57-66. (Con el título Santa Ana, la Virgen y el Niño, y atribuido a Michel Erhart)
• Zugaza, Miguel ... [et al.]. Maestros antiguos y modernos en las colecciones del Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao. Bilbao, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2001. p. 25.
• Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao : guía. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 22.
• Musée des Beaux Arts de Bilbao : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 22.
• Bilbao Fine Arts Museum : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 22.
• Weniger, Matthias. "Ama Birjinaren iragaitza eta Santa Ana, Ama Birjina eta Haurra : Alemaniako bi lan gotiko berantiar, Bilboko Arte Eder Museoan = La Dormición de la Virgen y Santa Ana, la Virgen y el Niño : dos obras tardogóticas alemanas en el Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao = The Dormition of the Virgin and Saint Anne, the Virgin and Child : Two Late Gothic artworks from Germany at the Bilbao Fire Arts Museum", B'08 : Buletina = Boletín = Bulletin, n° 4. 2009. pp. 15-65.
• Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao : guía. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2011. p. 23, n° cat. 12.
• Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa : gida. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2012. p. 23, n° cat. 12.
• Musée des Beaux Arts de Bilbao : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2014. p. 23.
• Bilbao Fine Arts Museum : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2014. p. 23.
• 110 Años 110 Obras [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 46-47, sin n° cat.
• 110 Ans 110 Oeuvres [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 46-47, sin n° cat.
• 110 Urte 110 Artelan [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 46-47, sin n° cat.
• 110 Years 110 Works [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 46-47, sin n° cat.