Birth has always been a threshold that is difficult to define, elusive, painful and fraught with a modesty and mystery that is hard to unveil. This book aims to tell the story of the description and representation of the "birth scene" in the West between the early Middle Ages and early modern times.

A captivating analysis of the complex relationship between two cultural powers at a time of fervent artistic and intellectual rebirth. In a captivating, richly detailed narrative, the author explores the dynamics that characterized the interaction between France and Italy during the Renaissance.