La Purification de Nostre Dame (The Purification of Our Lady), 1600s Engraving by Isac Jaspar

This image on laid paper is not a copy but an original from 1667. It has been affixed to rigid paper and measures 14.5 x 9.5 cm. The image depicts the purification of Our Lady after childbirth and the offering of the first-born male child to the Lord, an event celebrated on February 2.

Drawn by Belgian Isac Jaspar and published by George Josse of Paris, the infant Jesus is shown reaching out to Our Lady, surrounded by priests of the Temple. The cage at the foot of the dais is more than likely that which housed the two turtle doves that Our Lady presented as a sacrifice. Although she did not need to do this, she adhered to the Mosaic Laws of the time.

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