Madonna del Parto

A Madonna del Parto shows the Virgin Mary pregnant, and it was made to be used rather than only admired. In the 15th century childbirth was among the most dangerous things a woman could face, and images like this one were prayed to for a safe delivery. This anonymous Venetian panel dates from around 1490 and is painted in tempera, the older egg-based technique then giving way to oil. The type carries fixed signs a viewer of the day would read at once: Mary stands alone, a hand or a small closed book resting against her swelling body, a quiet allusion to the Word she carries. Expectant mothers left offerings before such images and came back to give thanks if mother and child came through. We no longer know who made this one, and panels of this kind were turned out by modest workshops for exactly that purpose.