She lies in bed with a halo.
Bible in art · Luke
Birth and Naming of John the Baptist
Italian painter · late 13th century
National Gallery of Art, Washington
A miniature on vellum cut from an Italian manuscript of the late 13th century, now in the National Gallery of Art. The painter filled the two bowls of a large letter — perhaps a B — with scenes, on grounds patterned like cloth.
In the upper bowl Elizabeth rests in bed, a woman bends over a cradle and Zechariah sits apart. In the lower bowl he writes on a tablet while men watch.
From the text
- Elizabeth gives birth to a son (Luke 1:57)
- Zechariah writes, “His name is John” (Luke 1:63)
The artist’s own
- Two scenes stacked inside the letter
- A red eagle in a roundel at the corner
Details
Elizabeth
The cradle
A woman bends over a hanging cradle.
Zechariah writing
He holds a tablet and writes.
The neighbours
Men stand and watch.
Italian 13th Century. National Gallery of Art, Washington (Rosenwald Collection, 1950.1.7) · Miniature on vellum · NGA Open Access: "Images of these works are available free of charge for any use, commercial or non-commercial, under Creative Commons Zero (CC0)." (NGA open data: published_images.csv openaccess = 1)