ART / Picture Choice: Gabriele Finaldi on pictorial wisdom in Piero's relaxed Nativity

Gabriele Finaldi
Tuesday 01 December 1992 00:02 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

CONSTANT exposure to the National Gallery's extraordinary picture collection has meant that paintings I was unfamiliar with have gradually come forward. One of these is Piero's late Nativity, a picture which is infused with enormous pictorial wisdom and experience. A shepherd points to the sky, perhaps relating the vision of the angelic host which has invited him and his companion to Bethlehem; Saint Joseph listens to him, sitting cross-legged on the ass's saddle; the ass itself brays wildly, while the ox peers between the musician angels and the Virgin, at the Christ Child. On top of the stable perches a magpie, perhaps presaging sorrow for Mary. In his old age, Piero seems to have relaxed his concern for creating still and stark archetypal representations, and even for accurate scale: the Virgin is so much larger than all the other figures. As in his celebrated Baptism, Piero succeeds in making it appear entirely plausible that this Gospel episode, the birth of Christ, took place in Tuscany.

Gabriele Finaldi is the new curator of later Italian and Spanish paintings at the National Gallery. 1992 is the quincentenary of the death of Piero della Francesca

(Photograph omitted)

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in