Original etching and drypoint printed in black ink on laid paper. An impression of Bartsch’s third state of three. In excellent condition with thin margins all around.

Platemark: 8 1/4" x 11 3/8", sheet size: 8 1/2" x 11 1/2"
Catalogue reference: Bartsch 49 ill/lll; Ustickie 49 ; Hind 162

In accordance with the law Joseph and Mary brought their firstborn son to the Temple to present him to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice to two doves. Pious old Simeon, who had been told by God that he would not die before he had seen the Christ, has taken the child in his arms and is praising the lord. "And there was one Anna, a prophetess, ...and she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise to the Lord, and spoke of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem" (Luke 2;22-38). The prophetess Anna is illuminated in the etching by the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove coming seen in a beam of light. This is a departure from the letter of Scripture: according to Luke the Holy Ghost accompanied by Simeon, not Anna.