Triptych
Triptych
Object name: Triptych
Date: 1400-1499
Dimensions:
65 x 47 x 3 mm
Medium: Ivory
Where depicted:Flanders
Object number: TN01214
DescriptionCarved panel from an ivory Triptych. This is a scene of the Birth of the Virgin, with St. Anne resting in the canopied bed, recognisable from her familiar wimple. A midwife bathes the newborn Virgin Mary in the foreground, who already has a halo, just like her mother. This was to emphasise the saintliness of both Christ's mother and grandmother, so that he could be produced without sin. This was probably one of several small panels, each depicting a different scene from the Life of the Virgin, that would have decorated the wings of a tabernacle, or folding shrine. There are similar examples on Flemish 15th-century tabernacles.