Statue of Saint Anne, the Virgin Mary, and the Christ Child Nearly every church had at least one image of the Virgin Mary, the most important figure of Christian devotion in medieval Europe. In this thirteenth-century wooden sculpture, she is shown holding the infant Jesus, and is herself sitting on the lap of her mother, Anne. Statues such as this reinforced people’s sense that the heavenly family was much like theirs, with grandparents who sometimes played important roles.

(Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence, Italy/Scala/Art Resource, NY)