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Italian, Florence or Siena

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

Now On View

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

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

Materials

  • tempera

Supports

  • panel

Dimensions

Diameter: 58.4 cm (23 inches) frame

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Unsigned

Place

Florence or Siena

Type

  • Paintings

Credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Manton B. Metcalf

Object Number

18.190

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

From the Reserve I

April 9 - August 3, 1994

Italian Painting

April 6 - August 25, 1990

European Galleries

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.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Birth Tray (Desco da Parto) Depicting the Birth of the Virgin with the accession number of 18.190. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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