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The Nativity with Saints by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio

Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio · 1532-01-01

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This is "The Nativity with Saints," a portable triptych painted by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio around 1514. It is only fourteen inches tall. Designed to fold up like a book, it was commissioned as a private devotional object for a Benedictine monastery, and it now resides at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The central panel shows the Virgin Mary adoring the infant Christ, with Saint Joseph standing behind the manger and a Benedictine monk kneeling in the foreground. The side wings are packed with saints: Peter with his key, Paul with his sword, Matthew, John the Evangelist, and others chosen for the patron's order.

The real puzzle stands to the right of Saint Joseph. The Met identifies her as possibly Elizabeth of Hungary, but she carries none of the attributes that normally identify that saint, no loaves of bread, no roses, no crown. Without an attribute, her identity has never been firmly settled. It is a small mystery tucked into a very small painting.

Ridolfo inherited one of Florence's busiest workshops from his father, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and this triptych is a rare surviving example of his small-scale religious panels. It came to the Met in 1931 as a bequest from Michael Friedsam.

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Details

The naked Christ child is the devotional focal point of the central panel , a viewer's eye converges here from every surrounding figure.
The naked Christ child is the devotional focal point of the central panel , a viewer's eye converges here from every surrounding figure.
Her lowered gaze and folded-hands pose express pure Florentine tenderness; the red robe against the landscape draws the eye immediately.
Her lowered gaze and folded-hands pose express pure Florentine tenderness; the red robe against the landscape draws the eye immediately.
The donor-monk's dark cowl anchors the commission , he is the viewer's surrogate entering the sacred scene, making the devotional function visible.
The donor-monk's dark cowl anchors the commission , he is the viewer's surrogate entering the sacred scene, making the devotional function visible.
The bearded Saint Peter with his key is immediately identifiable; the multi-saint panel shows Ghirlandaio's skill at fitting hierarchical groups into narrow arched spaces.
The bearded Saint Peter with his key is immediately identifiable; the multi-saint panel shows Ghirlandaio's skill at fitting hierarchical groups into narrow arched spaces.
His contemplative posture and aged face contrast with the Virgin's youth; a typical Ghirlandaio character type inherited from Domenico's workshop.
His contemplative posture and aged face contrast with the Virgin's youth; a typical Ghirlandaio character type inherited from Domenico's workshop.
Transcript

A foldable altar, just fourteen inches tall. Inside, the Nativity scene you expect. But look at the company they keep. Saint Paul with his sword, Saints John and Peter. Now find the figure beside Saint Joseph. The Met lists her as possibly Elizabeth of Hungary. She carries no loaf, no roses, no crown. Her identity remains an open question.