early to mid-1400s
Linen: plain weave; silk: embroidery (split stitch)
Overall: 85.1 x 92.1 cm (33 1/2 x 36 1/4 in.)
Gift of Elizabeth and Martin David in memory of the Heidenhain family 2021.238
The Christ child has put aside his globe to devote himself entirely to picking flowers.
The altar cloth was probably made for a southern German convent in the 15th century. While the focus on the Christ child is typical for female spirituality in the late Middle Ages, there are no comparative examples for the Christ child picking flowers. The detailed depiction of plants and flowers is of unusual quality for the embroideries of this period.
The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.
To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.
All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.