The Virgin and Child with Saint Joseph

The Virgin and Child with Saint Joseph are shown beneath the Star of Bethlehem and flanked by moldings or pilasters suggestive of a heavily articulated façade or interior. The density of the architectural elements makes the figures appear to stand out in relief against them as if part of a carved surface. The lower piece of glass is a modern replacement. The museum owns two other fragments from what must have been a larger ensemble (Saint John the Evangelist and A Prophet or Elder).