Tabernacle frame
Unknown Artist
ca. 1404
Medium
Spruce. Gilt; orange bole.
Dimensions
Overall: 33 11/16 × 16 1/2 in. (85.5 × 41.9 cm) Sight: 22 × 12 5/8 in. (55.9 × 32.1 cm)
Classification
Frames
Culture
Florentine
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.67b
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of early Renaissance Florence with this exquisite *Tabernacle frame*, crafted around 1404 by an unknown. Hailing from the vibrant cultural hub of Florence, Italy, these frames were designed as ornate architectural niches—miniature shrines or *tabernacoli*—to house small devotional paintings or panels. Often placed in homes or chapels, they elevated sacred images, blurring the line between art and in a time when religious devotion shaped daily life. Fashioned from spruce wood, the frame stands an impressive 33 11/16 × 16 1/2 inches overall, with a sight window of 22 × 12 5/...