The Birth of the Virgin

The present composition is noteworthy for its unconventional portrayal of the Birth of the Virgin. Specifically, Saint Anthony Abbot, who stands in the background, and the two unidentified nuns who kneel by the bed are characters not typically associated with this popular scene. Paul Taylor at the Warburg Institute has suggested that the two nuns are in fact donors who represent the religious order that commissioned the painting. While this is an uncommon representation, the presence of multiple saints in this religious scene is not entirely without precedent. In a painting of the same subject by Francesco Roselli in the Accademia di Belle Arti, Florence, the Virgin is shown surrounded by Saints Sebastian, Peter, Joachim and Denis.

We are grateful to Mr. Everett Fahy for suggesting the attribution on the basis of a transparency and to Paul Taylor of the Warburg Institute for assisting with the iconography of the scene.