A Mortal Gaze: Desco da parto Production and the Plague

Description/Abstract/Artist Statement

In early Renaissance Italy, painted wooden birth trays, or deschi da parto, were common gifts presented to mothers for the successful birth of a child. It is not a coincidence that the earliest known desco da parto dates from the 1370s following the devastating outbreak of the Black Death. Scholars have analyzed deschi da parto and plague imagery separately but have not examined how the symbolic and allegorical imagery on deschi da parto functioned as protection from the plague. In Renaissance Italy, gazing upon images painted on deschi da parto provided protection from the plague for mothers and their children.

Presenting Author Name/s

Sarah Bulger

Faculty Advisor/Mentor

Dr. Anne Muraoka

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Disciplines

Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture

Session Title

Art History 3

Location

Learning Commons @ Perry Library Conference Room 1306

Start Date

2-2-2019 11:30 AM

End Date

2-2-2019 12:30 PM

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Feb 2nd, 11:30 AM Feb 2nd, 12:30 PM

A Mortal Gaze: Desco da parto Production and the Plague

Learning Commons @ Perry Library Conference Room 1306

In early Renaissance Italy, painted wooden birth trays, or deschi da parto, were common gifts presented to mothers for the successful birth of a child. It is not a coincidence that the earliest known desco da parto dates from the 1370s following the devastating outbreak of the Black Death. Scholars have analyzed deschi da parto and plague imagery separately but have not examined how the symbolic and allegorical imagery on deschi da parto functioned as protection from the plague. In Renaissance Italy, gazing upon images painted on deschi da parto provided protection from the plague for mothers and their children.