Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

227. MS M.917/945, pp. 150–151


Holy Family at Supper

ca. 1440
The Netherlands, Utrecht
MS M.917/945, pp. 150–151

Purchased on the Belle da Costa Greene Fund with the assistance of the Fellows, 1963

Nearly as delightful as the previous miniature is this one showing the Holy Family taking sustenance. Humbly seated on the floor, Mary, as the Virgo lactans, gives suck to the Christ Child. Joseph spoons his supper while seated in a barrel chair. The background is filled with an abundance of home furnishings: a shelf of pewter plates, a pair of shears, a bellows, a wood cabinet with food and dishes, and a rack of utensils. The cylindrical fireplace contains steaming pots, tongs, and a grill. Note the delicacy with which the Cleves Master rendered the wisps of smoke.