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The Madonna of Humility, the Annunciation, the Nativity, and the Pietà

ca. 1465
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 954
The Vivarini were a family of Venetian painters whose prolific workshop specialized in large multi-tiered altarpieces for churches throughout the Veneto region. This relatively small triptych was likely intended for private devotion. The kneeling nun, dressed as a member of the Dominican Order, probably represents the patron. Bartolomeo’s debt to the Paduan master Andrea Mantegna is especially evident in the rendering of the landscape and the figure of the Madonna in the Nativity scene. Although the frame is not original, it conveys the decorative ornamentation typical of the Vivarini.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Madonna of Humility, the Annunciation, the Nativity, and the Pietà
  • Artist: Bartolomeo Vivarini (Italian, active Venice 1450–91)
  • Date: ca. 1465
  • Medium: Tempera and gold on wood
  • Dimensions: Central panel, overall 23 x 18 in. (58.4 x 45.7 cm); left panel, overall 22 3/8 x 9 1/2 in. (56.8 x 24.1 cm); right panel, overall 22 1/4 x 9 3/8 in. (56.5 x 23.8 cm);
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.1.82
  • Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection

More Artwork

More Artwork
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A Saint (Mark?) Reading, Bartolomeo Vivarini Italian, Tempera on wood, gold ground
A Saint (Mark?) Reading
Bartolomeo Vivarini
ca. 1470
The Death of the Virgin, Bartolomeo Vivarini Italian, Tempera on wood
The Death of the Virgin
Bartolomeo Vivarini
1484
Saint Anthony the Abbot in the Wilderness, Osservanza Master Italian, Tempera and gold on wood
Saint Anthony the Abbot in the Wilderness
Osservanza Master
ca. 1435
The Annunciation to Zacharias; (verso) The Angel of the Annunciation, Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia) Italian, Tempera and gold on wood
The Annunciation to Zacharias; (verso) The Angel of the Annunciation
Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia)
ca. 1455–60
Coronation of the Virgin, Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia) Italian, Tempera on wood, gold ground
Coronation of the Virgin
Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia)
ca. 1455

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