Tympanum Section with the Nativity and Annunciation to the Shepherds
Unknown Artist
ca. 1275–1300
Medium
Limestone
Dimensions
Overall: 35 x 54 1/4 x 11 1/4 in. (88.9 x 137.8 x 28.6 cm) weight: 1700lb. (771.1kg)
Classification
Sculpture-Architectural
Culture
North French
Department
The Cloisters
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Cloisters Collection, 1949
Accession Number
49.69.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking limestone tympanum section carved by an unknown North French artist around 1275–1300, once adorned the portal of a Gothic church doorway. Measuring an impressive 35 x 54¼ x 11¼ inches and weighing1,700 pounds, it vividly depicts two pivotal scenes from the Christmas story: the Nativity, with the newborn Christ in the manger surrounded by Mary, Joseph, and animals, and the Annunciation the Shepherds, where herald the divine birth to humble watchers in the fields. Such architectural sculptures were central to medieval cathedrals, serving as a "Bible of the Poor" to inspire faith am...