A detailed woodcut illustration depicting the birth of the Virgin Mary. In the background, Saint Anne rests in a large, canopied bed, being attended to by a servant who offers her a bowl. In the foreground, a woman sits on a low stool beside a large wooden bathing tub, holding the infant Mary. To the left, a table is set with a flagon, a glass, and bread. The room is a domestic interior typical of the late Renaissance or early Baroque period.

The Birth of Mary. original German: "Marien geburt"

Nativity of the VirginThe traditional celebration of the birth of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Joachim embraces Anne, original Latin: "Ioachim amplectitur Annam"

the mother of Mary.

A woodcut illustration depicting the meeting of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne at the Golden Gate. In the center, Joachim and Anne are shown in a tender embrace. Joachim, on the right, is an elderly man with a long beard, wearing a heavy, draped cloak and a soft cap. Anne, on the left, wears a head covering and a long mantle. To their right is the corner of a stone building, representing the Golden Gate of Jerusalem. To the left, a landscape is visible with a tree and a small figure, likely a shepherd, in the distance. The sky features stylized clouds.

Joachim embraces Anne, original German: "Joachim vmbfengt Annam"

the mother of Mary.

This scene, known as the "Meeting at the Golden Gate," is a popular subject in Christian art derived from the Protevangelium of James. According to tradition, the elderly Joachim and Anne had been unable to conceive and suffered the social shame of childlessness. After Joachim spent forty days in the wilderness praying and Anne lamented at home, an angel appeared to both of them separately, promising they would have a child whose name would be spoken of in all the world. They rushed to meet each other at the gate of Jerusalem. Their joyful embrace is traditionally interpreted by theologians as the moment of Mary's immaculate conception.