The Nativity
| Support Type: | Canvas |
| Paint Type: | Oil Paint |
| Current Location: | National Gallery of Art, Washington |
| Location History: | The painting was commissioned by a member of the Baciadonne family for the church of Santa Maria della Consolazione in Genoa, where it remained until the late eighteenth century. It later entered the collection of Cardinal Joseph Fesch in Paris. In 1845, it was sold in Rome and eventually became part of the collection of the Earl of Dudley in England. The painting subsequently passed through the Cook family collection at Doughty House, Surrey. In the late 1940s, it was acquired by Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi and then purchased by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation in New York in 1949. In 1961, the painting was gifted to the National Gallery of Art, where it is housed today. |
Perino del Vaga (1501-1547) created this painting in 1534, depicting the episode of Birth of Christ. Although titled Nativity, the painting lacks certain traditional characters such as the manger, ox, and ass, found in scenes of Christ’s birth. Commissioned by a member of the Baciadonne family for the church of Santa Maria della Consolazione in Genoa, this painting is considered as the most important work done by Perino del Vaga. The foreground consists of John the Baptist, Catherine of Alexandria, and the Virgin. In the background stands Sebastian, who is identified through the pierced arrows on his body, the Pilgrim James Major, Joseph, the husband of Mary, and the Pilgrim Roch. The Christ child is placed in the centre, and he is looking and pointing towards John the Baptist. In front of Christ, a tablet is placed and it is inscribed with Perino’s signature and the date 1534. In the upward sky, God is shown surrounded by a phalanx of putti. A figure is highlighted on the right side with a slaughtered lamb, a symbol of Christ’s sacrifice. Perino del Vaga was a pupil of Raphael and the latter’s influence can be seen in the idealisation of figures and their graceful postures. However, there’s also tension in Perino’s painting, which indicates a different approach taken from his mentor’s style. Overall, the painting stands between two essential western art movements of the 16th century - High Renaissance and Mannerism. Features like balanced composition and clean narrative of the painting is an influence of the High Renaissance, whereas, the theatrical poses of the figures, dynamic movement and the use of rich colours that glow brightly in the dark background, are the characteristics of Mannerism.
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