The Woman in Labour: A Twelfth-Century Navarrese Relief from the Church of San Martin de Tours, Artáiz

Abstract

Among other corbels on the façade of the Church of San Martin de Tours in Artáiz (Navarra Spain, twelfth century), an interesting relief depicts a woman while giving birth. Childbirth in medieval art is a fascinating subject, as it can portray the differences between medieval and contemporary attitudes regarding sex and gender. How is childbirth depicted? Why is it depicted at all? This essay will analyze the meaning and scope of the childbirth relief within the context of early Medieval culture and recent research in Romanesque marginal art.