The Art and Ritual of Childbirth in Renaissance Italy

by Jacqueline Marie Musacchio

Childbirth in Renaissance Italy was encouraged, celebrated, and commemorated with a wide range of objects, from wooden bowls and maiolica wares to paintings, sculpture, clothing, and food. This groundbreaking book examines for the first time these highly significant objects and what they meant to the individuals and society that created, purchased, and bestowed them.

Genres: Art

228 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Mandy Hedley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book nearly 20 years ago at university. We had a seminar and even had the opportunity to meet the author. I was terribly nervous though and could think of nothing interesting to ask or say.

I’ve never forgotten this book and wanted to reread it after I had children. The book has many beautiful images but the subject matter fascinates me too. It was interesting to read it again as a mother who had difficult pregnancies.

[Liss Carmody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally fascinating. I took notes. I will admit, my interest in medieval and renaissance childbirth is what drove me to this volume, which is in fact more of an art history book cataloguing several specific sorts of birth-related artifacts that achieved a ubiquity during renaissance Tuscany that allows them to be studied in great detail. So there may not have been much here that is directly applicable to my areas of interest (or what there is, is so general as to be unhelpful). Nevertheless, this volume is stuffed full of interesting details gleaned from an extensive study of extant artifacts as well as inventories of the period, cross-referenced in many places with images of these artifacts in use from contemporary paintings (often executed on the very artifacts in question). Most of the illustrations (and there are many) are in black and white, but some choice ones have been provided in color as well. Definitely a worthwhile read.