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Unknown Maker, Italian

Birth Tray (Desco da Parto) Depicting the Birth of the Virgin

Now On View

Description

Maker

Culture

Italian

Title

Birth Tray (Desco da Parto) Depicting the Birth of the Virgin

Year

ca. 1430

Medium

Tempera and gold on panel

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Tempera and gold on panel

Materials

tempera

Supports

panel

Geography

Place Made: Florence or Siena

Dimensions

Diameter: 58.4 cm (23 inches) frame

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signature: Unsigned

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Manton B. Metcalf

Object Number

18.190

Type

Paintings

Exhibition History

European Galleries

Sep 02, 2017

Label copy

During the 1400s, wealthy Italians gave painted trays such as this one to celebrate marriages and anticipate successful childbearing. The birth of Mary, who would become the mother of Jesus, was an appropriate subject to represent the delivery of a healthy child.

Set in a 15th-century Italian home, this scene shows Anne, Mary’s mother, receiving nourishment at her bedside. As a neighbor arrives with gifts, attendants bathe the baby Mary and warm her blankets over a fire. Although worn by age, the tray’s painted narratives and traces of gold leaf indicate that this was a luxury object, intended for display and not for practical use.

From the Reserve I

Paintings of Quality from the Museum's Collection

Apr 09, 1994 – Aug 03, 1994

Italian Painting

Treasures from the Permanent Collection

Apr 06, 1990 – Aug 25, 1990

Use & Feedback

Image use

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Italian

Birth Tray (Desco da Parto) Depicting the Birth of the Virgin, ca. 1430

Tempera and gold on panel

Diameter: 58.4 cm (23 inches) frame

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Manton B. Metcalf 18.190

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