The Nativity
Medium
oil, tempera, and gold on wood panel (fir)
Dimensions
unframed: 172.7 × 124.4 cm · framed: 187.3 × 139.1 × 14 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Francis Ginn, Marian Ginn Jones, Barbara Ginn Griesinger, and Alexander Ginn in memory of Frank Hadley Ginn and Cornelia Root Ginn
Accession Number
1953.660.2
Tags
About this artwork
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 ...