Miniature with the Nativity of Mary, ca. 1400–1500
Gouache, gold paint, brown and red ink on parchment
Sheet dimensions55 × 40 cm
About the workThe image on the sheet of music depicts a family shortly after the birth of a child. The mother Anne is being provided with food, while the father Joachim is stretching out his hands towards his newborn child. It is Mary who will later give birth to the Son of God Jesus. The scene is surrounded by two scaled creatures that form the letter S and open the line of text with the words "Salve sancta parens" (Hail, holy Mother, the child-bearer). The page comes from a gradual, a book containing the chants of the Mass.
Accession
Acquired 1927 from the Kunstgewerbemuseum
Provenance[...]; 1927/28 übernommen vom "Central-Gewerbe-Verein für die Rheinlande, Westfalen und benachbarte Gebiete" als Träger des Kunstgewerbemuseums
Inventory numberK 1928-1518r