Miniature Altarpiece with the Nativity
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.The artist seems to have adopted a fairly conservative approach for this altarpiece, with few anecdotal details. An exception is the group of three shepherds who dance in a circle behind the figure of Joseph.
Recent research by the staff at the Detroit Institute of Arts has revealed restoration done by a nineteenth-century artisan named Baudoin. Among his alterations to the altarpiece are the wings at the bottom with a little dog and a vase of flowers.
Recent research by the staff at the Detroit Institute of Arts has revealed restoration done by a nineteenth-century artisan named Baudoin. Among his alterations to the altarpiece are the wings at the bottom with a little dog and a vase of flowers.
Artwork Details
- Title: Miniature Altarpiece with the Nativity
- Date: early 16th century, with later additions
- Culture: Netherlandish
- Medium: Boxwood
- Dimensions: Open: 9 × 5 3/8 × 1 1/4 in. (22.9 × 13.7 × 3.2 cm)
Closed: 9 × 3 3/8 × 1 1/4 in. (22.9 × 8.6 × 3.2 cm) - Classification: Sculpture-Miniature-Wood
- Credit Line: Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund, Benson Ford Fund and Henry Ford II Fund (79.177)
- Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters