Die Heilige Familie mit dem Johannesknaben

The Holy Family and Saint John the Baptist

The infant Christ, supported by the Virgin, holds a rosary. At left, the young Baptist clasps a cross. The prominence of the rosary suggests that this was painted for a Catholic patron, like many of the artist's religious works. Jordaens himself was a Protestant. He may have been inspired by Caravaggio's 'Madonna of the Rosary', which was then in Antwerp.