Description

Saint Anne can be seen teaching Mary the Virgin as a child to read. The two figures are positioned on a chequered base, resembling a blue and white tiled floor. Because she is married, the mother covers her head with an ivory-coloured scarf. The child has a splendid head of hair. At Saint Anne’s feet is a nail, to which her workbasket would have originally been fixed.

It was in the 18th C. that, following a resurgence in the devotion of Saint Anne, she began to be represented as the Teacher of Mary. The iconography was not new, but artists of the time repeated it endlessly, particularly in view of the tremendous prestige of the Academies, which strove to promote science and culture. As well as sanctifying teaching and learning, the image of a young Virgin Mary learning to read also set an example for the society of the time. 

It is documented that, in 1784, there were three altars in the former chapel of the Royal Tobacco Factory: that of the Virgin of Los Remedios, that of the Annunciation, and that of the Adoration of the Shepherds. Cartouches announced the 160 days of indulgence granted by the Archbishops of Seville and Santiago de Compostela. On the 22 June 1784, it was specified that Saint Anne and Saint Joachim would form part of the altarpiece of the Annunciation of Mary.