Strange English miniature painting or photo? What's the motif?

[monroefashion]

I found this strange miniature painting or photo today.
It comes from England. haventt seen anything like this before!

What does the motif say? Is it a Baby?
Anyone have a clue?

Measures ca 7 cm in diameter.


Many thanks

Malin

[Rauville]

Perhaps it depicts the custom of swaddling?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swaddling

[monroefashion]

Ah! Now i found some more infor, It seems to be similar to "Andrea de la Robbia" medallions from italy!

Thanks, I really solved it! Yet don't know what it's for though, hehe

Thank You!!

[ironlord1963]

   Is it possible that this is a picture of a baby in Post mortem, it was common practice in the victorian and early century to take pictures of lost babies for memories.  Just a thought.

[talesofthesevenseas]

It's definitely a photograph of a statue, if you go to the large version, you can see that it is cracked through the neck. I do think you are on the right track that it is religious in nature, but as far as it being an Andrea della Robbia I don't see any similar to yours. I do think it's probably a depiction of Christ as a child, the posture certainly gives that impression, but I don't know what the significance of the wrappings might be. Possibly something about rebirth from the trappings of death?

[talesofthesevenseas]

OK I found the Andrea della Robbia depiction that matches your photograph. It is from Ospedale degli Innocenti, the Foundlings Hospital:
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/1ec3c3/

"The Tondi - Above each column is a ceramic tondo. These were originally meant by Brunelleschi to be blank concavities, but ca. 1490, Andrea della Robbia was commissioned to fill them in.[7] The design features a baby in swaddling clothes on a blue wheel, indicative of the horizontal wheel in the wall where babies could be rotated into the interior. A few of the tondi are still the original ones, but some are nineteenth century copies."

The insignia of the American Academy of Pediatrics is based on one of the tondi.[3]

[talesofthesevenseas]

There are several different designs of these "tondi". I think I found the exact one in your photo on this page:
Thanks for posting this I learned something I new, these are really interesting!

http://www.squinchpix.com/PHP_1.php?imgnum=11&setidx=565368

[talesofthesevenseas]

This is absolutely fascinating- This foundling hospital in Florence for hundreds of years had what was essentially a "lazy Susan" wheel next to the door, so that during the night women giving up their children could do so annonymously. It was in operation up until the 1880's and that is what you are seeing in the tondi, the poor babies on the wheel!

http://www.paradoxplace.com/Perspectives/Italian%20Images/Montages/Firenze/Foundling%20Hospital/Foundling_Hospital.htm

[KC]

Talesof, I agree this has been a most intriguing thread.  I had forgotten about foundling wheels...and there is a new modern one now introduced in Rome!   http://medgadget.com/2007/02/italy_unveils_d.html

[talesofthesevenseas]

It really tugs at your heart seeing those little babies on the wheel, doesn't it? I wonder how many adoptions those tondi inspired! (I'm trying to think positive and not dissolve into fits of maternal weeping!)

[KC]

I just know after seeing so many countries that have dying rooms (still today) and desertion of babies in ungodly places....this is really a wonderful idea that has been around for hundreds and hundreds of years!!!!!

Maybe the US would do better with these.  Even tho the law enables them to leave them at hospitals/fire stations/police departments....so many are still left alone and many die because there isn't the anonymity.

Thanks for the thread monroefashion! 

[monroefashion]

Wow! So many answers! Well it's a quite strange little thing I have. Thank you all for your information!

I agree with U talesofthesevenseas, this is a very interesting subject! I will absolutely research this more,

by the way sorry for my bad english, that's why my short answers hihi

Thanks again!

/Malin