Wedding Procession of Mary and Joseph
Medium
Pen and brown ink, with brush and gray wash, heightened with lead white (oxidized), on blue laid paper, tipped on to cream wove card
Dimensions
20 × 22.8 cm (7 7/8 × 9 in.)
Classification
ink with wash
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
114479
Art Historical Context
Giotto di Bondone, a pivotal figure in the transition from medieval to Renaissance art, created this intimate drawing of the Wedding Procession of Mary and Joseph. Active in early 14th-century Italy, Giotto is celebrated for infusing religious narratives with greater emotional depth and naturalistic observation. The scene captures a moment from the life of the Virgin Mary, likely inspired by the apocryphal stories that expanded on biblical accounts, rendered with the artist’s characteristic attention to human gesture and procession. Executed in pen and brown ink with gray wash on blue laid pa...