Not currently on display at the V&A

The Nativity

Relief
third quarter of the 15th century (made)
Place of origin
Siena (made)

This stucco relief depicts the Nativity. The Virgin is shown seated on the ground in front of a cave in which the swaddled baby Jesus lies under the heads of ox and ass. On the right St Joseph sits asleep while on the left a shepherd peers round the side of the cave. In the corners of the relief are the heads of the Evangelists with scrolls.

The relief, of which variants exist in other collections, is related stylistically to a group of marble reliefs carved by Urbano da Cortona for the chapel of the Madonna delle Graie in Siena Cathedral.


Object details

Object type
Relief
TitleThe Nativity
Materials and techniques
Stucco
Stucco
Brief description
Nativity, relief, stucco
Physical description
Nativity, relief in stucco. The Virgin seated on the ground in front of a cave in which the swaddled Christ lied under the heads of ox and ass. To the right sits St. Joseph, asleep; to the left a shepherd peers round the side of the cave. The circular composition is recessed within a square frame, in the corners of which are four prophets holding scrolls.
Dimensions
  • Height: 66cm
  • Width: 66cm
Object history
Purchased in Florence (Bardini £39).
Production
After Urbano da Cortona
Subjects depicted
Virgin Mary
St Joseph
Jesus
Summary
This stucco relief depicts the Nativity. The Virgin is shown seated on the ground in front of a cave in which the swaddled baby Jesus lies under the heads of ox and ass. On the right St Joseph sits asleep while on the left a shepherd peers round the side of the cave. In the corners of the relief are the heads of the Evangelists with scrolls.

The relief, of which variants exist in other collections, is related stylistically to a group of marble reliefs carved by Urbano da Cortona for the chapel of the Madonna delle Graie in Siena Cathedral.
Bibliographic references
  • List of Objects in the Art Division South Kensington Museum acquired during the Year 1890. Arranged according to the dates of acquisition, with appendix and indices. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1891. pp. 3
  • Pope Hennessey, John. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1964. pp.260-1
  • Pope-Hennessy. 'Some Donatello Problems: v, Three Stucco Reliefs'. Suida. pp. 61-5
  • MacLagan, E, and Longhurst, Margaret, H. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture. London: V&A, 1932. pp.21-2
  • Raggio, Olga. 'Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum'. Art Bulletin Vol. L. 1968. pp. 100
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
4-1890

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdOctober 27, 2008
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O170678/the-nativity-relief/
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest