Just like the Annunciation I talked about a while ago, there’s a lot going on in this scene portraying the birth of the Virgin Mary. This stunning panel is one of a trio showing events from the lives of Anna and Joachim, the parents of the Virgin Mary. We’ll find out the surprising way their struggle with infertility ended and how di Bartolo used small touches to turn this religious scene into something wonderfully warm and very human.
And there’s a mystery here! The catalog says this was very likely part of a large altarpiece and that several panels are missing! Click here to see what it might have looked like.
Also check out this video to see how these kinds of panels were created and how artists painted with gold!
SHOW NOTES
“A Long Look” theme is “Ascension” by Ron Gelinas youtu.be/jGEdNSNkZoo
Episode theme is Medieval March in D minor by Manel Fera. Courtesy of Soundcloud
Nativity of the Virgin information
Miklós Boskovits (1935–2011), “Andrea di Bartolo/The Nativity of the Virgin/c. 1400/1405,” Italian Paintings of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries, NGA Online Editions.
Altarpiece Reconstruction
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.183.html#supp-altarpiece_reconstruction
Andrea diBartolo information
https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.91.html
Gold-Ground Panel Painting courtesy of the Khan Academy (video)
Slow Art Day http://www.slowartday.com
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