The Nativity

Download2471 × 3400 px View on a wall Edit

Artist: Jaume Ferrer II (Spanish, ?–1470)
Medium: Oil, tempera, and gold on wood panel (fir)
Size: Unframed: 172.7 x 124.4 cm (68 x 49 in.)
Culture: Spain, Catalonia, 15th century
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

This painting is believed to be a remaining component of a six-panel altarpiece. The large central panel is now preserved in the Museu National d’Art de Catalunya in Barcelona. Ferrer collaborated with the painter Pere Garcia de Benavarri on this commission. Spanish works like these often feature elaborate treatment of the gold background, evident here in the exuberant raised decoration (called pastiglia) in the haloes. As a symbol of his dominion over the world, Christ holds an orb in his left hand; he bestows a blessing with his right hand. The Virgin kneels above him in rapt adoration. Using the wattle fence almost as a church pew, two shepherds express humble piety; one removes his hat and the other clasps his hands in prayer.