Vittore Carpaccio
Birth of the Virgin

The painting has an almost square format and is painted with oil on canvas. Its sides measure just under 130 centimetres. It is on loan from the Fondazione Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, Italy.

It depicts the birth of Mary in a room with a beamed ceiling and a spacious bed recess. 

Four women, a man and the baby form the foreground. Joachim, the father of the child, is shown in profile on the left-hand edge of the picture. He has a long grey beard and is wearing a reddish-brown tunic over a yellow robe and a brown cap with white trim. He is leaning on a stick with both hands. A little way in front of him is a shallow tub on a tiled floor with a chessboard-like pattern. A wet nurse sits to the right of the tub. The older woman is wearing a light brown veil that falls over her shoulders and chest. The newborn Mary lies on the nurse's knees. A white cloth covers the baby's stomach and hips. Mary's head is surrounded by a delicate, light-coloured halo. 

At the bottom right of the picture, a woman is sitting on a carpet spread over a low wall. She is wrapping a white bandage. The young woman is wearing a gold-coloured undergarment with a sleeveless blue dress over it. The dress has a small V-neck at the back of the neck. The woman's hair is hidden under a light-coloured scarf wrapped like a turban. She is gazing wide-eyed at the newborn. 

The high bed recess is on the right-hand side of the picture. The heavy red curtains are open. Anna, the mother, is lying on her side in bed under a white sheet that is draped over a red blanket. She has her head in her right hand. Over several robes, she is wearing a blue cloak with gold trim at the hem. It lies over her shoulders. Anna is also wearing a tight-fitting bonnet. She looks thoughtfully in the direction of the woman on the little wall. A servant in a red robe stands at the head of the bed. She is holding a shallow bowl and a spoon. On the wall behind her is a high ledge with vessels and a candlestick. Above it hangs a wooden panel with Hebrew characters. A small dark green curtain above it is drawn to the right. 

In the middle ground of the left half of the picture, views from the room lend the depiction spatial depth. On the far left, a window is cut through which a hilly landscape with a deciduous tree can be seen. Through an open door next to it, the view falls into the kitchen and other rooms behind it. A pot hangs over a fire in the kitchen. A woman dries a white cloth in front of the flames. Two rabbits sit on the floor in front of the doorway.

Vittore Carpaccio is considered a "master storyteller", one of the best of his day. And in this painting, he showcases that mastery. The painting shows the birth of Mary, later to become the Virgin Mary, in an affluent household. A wet nurse is getting ready to bathe the child in a shallow wooden tub, while a maidservant attends to Anne, who has just given birth. Right at the front, a woman has taken a seat on a low wall to wind a bandage. And in the rooms at the rear, two more servants can be seen going about household tasks. Only Joachim, the sole man in the picture, is idle. He's leaning on his stick and gazing pensively at the scene.

Carpaccio painted this picture as the prologue to a six-part series for the Scuola degli Albanesi, where Venice's Albanian community used to meet. He's set the scene in a wealthy Venetian household which he embellishes with numerous, seemingly incidental details. Take a moment to let your eye wander. You'll see a typical wooden beam ceiling, opulent wall decorations, vases and pots on a ledge and, last but not least, a panel inscribed with Hebrew characters on the wall.

Immediately before Carpaccio created his "Birth of the Virgin", a kind of primer of the Hebrew language had been published in Venice. The inscription, which is accurately reproduced, is from that book. However, Carpaccio wasn't interested in portraying the real life appearance of a Jewish household in Venice. Instead, he used the inscribed panel to link different time periods, setting the legend of Mary's birth (which actually took place in pre-Christian times) within a contemporary interior. It's unlikely his contemporaries were able to decipher the panel, but it highlights the historical divide – regardless of the topicality and the references to everyday life.

Before you move on, take another look at the seated female figure in the foreground on the right. You'll be seeing her again in the next room.

Vittore Carpaccio is considered one of the best storytellers of his time. This painting shows why. The painting shows the birth of Mary. The birth takes place in a wealthy household. A wet nurse wants to bathe the child in a shallow wooden bathtub. A servant takes care of Anna, who has just given birth to her child, little Mary. At the front of the painting, a woman sits on a low wall and unrolls a bandage. In the back rooms, two other servants can be seen doing housework. Only Joachim, the sole man in the painting, is idle. He is leaning on his stick and looking at the scene.

Carpaccio painted the picture for the Scuola degli Albanesi, the meeting place of the Albanian community in Venice. In Carpaccio's work, Mary is born in a wealthy household in Venice. On the wall hangs a plaque with Hebrew characters.

Shortly before Carpaccio painted his "Birth of Mary", a textbook for the Hebrew language had been published in Venice. The writing on the plaque comes from this book. At the time of Mary's birth, Hebrew was spoken and written. But Carpaccio did not want to depict a Jewish household in Venice. With the plaque he brought the two together: the story of Mary's birth, from pre-Christian times, takes place in his present day in a wealthy household in Venice.