The Nativity
Maker Unknown
Date: Late 14th century
Place Made: Italy
Materials & Techniques: Painting and gilding on glass
Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 cm
Accession Number: The Wallace Collection, IIIG307
Printable Version (opens in a new window)
This small piece of glass was made in Italy just over 600 years ago. It shows Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus in the stable. In front of them is a shepherd and below them are his sheep.
The shepherd and his sheep are much smaller than Mary, Joseph and the baby, and the shepherd is looking up either at the family or at the angel above them. Around the edge of the glass is a border of leaves. Everything has been applied on the underside of the glass in gold so that the gold would not be scratched when people touched the glass and also to give a smooth finish to the picture.
This piece of glass was part of an object that would have held the bones of a saint and it would have been kept in a church. You would have been able to see the bones through small holes in the glass which are now covered. Why do you think that an object for keeping bones in was painted so beautifully with gold?
Teachers' Information
Bones of a saint would have been visible through the ungilded areas of glass on this reliquary panel. The bones were sacred relics and they were valued more highly than this piece of glass. The image of the holy family reminds us that the bones inside are those of a saint.
Activities
1. You could ask the children to design a box to hold their most treasured possession. The box should be decorated with pictures that give clues about what is inside. You could ask older children to think about the size and proportions of their box and measure it out themselves.
2. Ask your pupils to have a go at painting on glass or acetate. Think about the object, how much light will shine through, where it will go and what it is used for. What is the difference between painting the design to be seen on top of the surface or on the underside of the surface? Pupils could experiment with this and see if they can modify their designs so that the image looks correct from both sides. An acetate sheet could be a stained glass window or a decoration. This activity could be linked in with Religious Studies modules on Christianity or the Hindu festival of Diwali.