Tabernacle mirror frame
Unknown Artist
1550–80
Medium
Poplar and walnut
Dimensions
Overall: 19 3/4 × 14 1/8 in. (50.2 × 35.8 cm) Sight: 12 3/16 × 7 5/16 in. (31 × 18.5 cm) Rabbet: Mirror
Classification
Frames
Culture
Italian, South Lombardy
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.2096
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Tabernacle mirror frame* South Lombardy, Italy, dates to the mid- to late 16th century (1550–80), a vibrant period of Renaissance craftsmanship. Crafted from poplar and walnut—durable woods favored for their workability and rich grain—the frame exemplifies the tabernacle style, which mimics the architectural niches and pediments of small altarpieces or sacred tabernacles. Measuring about 20 by 14 inches overall, it elegantly frames a mirror (12 by 7 inches in sight size), transforming a functional object into a sculptural jewel. In Renaissance Italy, such frames were more than...