Offered by Antichità Castelbarco
The Nativity of Jesus
Flemish school, late 16th/early 17th century
Gerard David (Oudewater, c. 1460 - Bruges, 1523) Follower of
Oil on copper 30 x 25 cm. - In frame 47 x 42 cm.
This small gem on copper, depicting the Nativity, is a valuable version of a work by Gerard David, specifically the central panel of the famous Triptych of the Nativity with Donors and Saints Jerome and Leonard (c. 1515), currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
The work reflects the meticulous and realistic style typical of the Northern Renaissance, characterised by remarkable compositional balance and meticulous attention to detail: Gerard David was the last of the great masters of the Bruges school and his work was widely studied and replicated by his workshop, both during his lifetime and especially after his death.
Our composition in particular, certainly commissioned as an object of private devotion, is the work of a follower of the great master, active in the Flemish region between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century.
The painting immortalises in the most classical way the episode of the birth of Jesus, who lies in a manger surrounded by an ox and a donkey, with Mary and St Joseph in adoration (the mother holds her hands clasped in prayer, while Joseph crosses his arms over his heart in humility).
A curious and unusual detail concerns Joseph, who is represented here as a young man, unlike most depictions. The detail of the angels of the heavenly host gathered at the site of the divine event, high up on the right, is beautiful, as is the glimpse of the background through an opening, from which shepherds can be seen in a hilly landscape, giving the work an evocative atmosphere of contemplation.
The setting is also very evocative, faithfully replicated from the original prototype, which is based on the passage from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:7): according to tradition, the family could not find shelter in any inn and chose to protect the child inside the dilapidated palace of King David of the Old Testament, an ancestor of Christ. **Gerard David, Triptych, 1505, 90 x 71 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, United States)
Delevery information :
We take care of and organise the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.
We take great care We personally take care of the packaging, to which we devote a great deal of care: each work is carefully packed, first with arti- cle material, then with a custom-made wooden box.
Should you have the desire to see this or other works in person, we would be happy to welcome you to our gallery in Riva del Garda, Viale Giuseppe Canella 18, we are always open by appointment only.
