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.
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
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.