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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThe print shows an aged woman with a wrinkled face and distinctive headdress, identified as the prophetess Anna. She clutches a book of scripture while looking downward with a somber expression, set against a background of craggy cliffs and a distant fortress. The artist uses dense cross-hatching and complex folds in the clothing to create a sense of physical weight and gravitas.
Anna represents the visionary tradition in Western thought, specifically the ability to perceive divine truths before they are manifest to the world. Her status as a 'praesaga' (one with foreknowledge) links her to the broader category of sibyls and seers who populate the intersections of sacred history and esoteric prophecy.
Mens Christiana sensit præsaga Prophetidos Annæ, Jam natum terris, Diuum hominumq[ue] iubar.
Translation
The Christian mind felt the foreboding of the Prophetess Anna, Already born to the world, the radiance of gods and men.
Luke 2:36-38
The primary biblical source describing Anna as a prophetess of great age who served in the Temple and recognized the infant Messiah through divine inspiration.
Object
Engraving
religious
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
collectionsonline.lacma.org/ : Home : Info
Public domain
3614 × 5556 px
41f4333abd0685e2a175020b48dc441596ccc768
August 19, 2008
March 23, 2026
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 1, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.