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The Nativity
Created 1504–7
Curatorial Overview
“To develop his own intimate style, Fra Bartolommeo looked to the most lyrical and harmonious paintings of his fellow artists working in Florence in the first years of the 16th century, including Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael. When the young artist came under the spell of the ardent Dominican reformer Girolamo Savonarola in 1500, he abandoned his artistic career for several years to join the order, becoming Fra (Friar) Bartolommeo. He made this work after his return to painting in 1504, investing it with a new spirituality.”
Object Details
MediumOil on panel
Dimensions34 × 24.5 cm (13 3/8 × 9 5/8 in.)
Archive / MuseumThe Art Institute of Chicago
Credit LineEthel T. Scarborough Fund; John G. Searle Family Trust, L. L. and A. S. Coburn, Mr. and Mrs. Lester King, John and Josephine Louis, Samuel A. Marx, Alexander McKay, Chester D. Tripp, and Murray Vale endowment funds; purchased with funds provided by Marilynn Alsdorf, Anne Searle Bent, David and Celia Hilliard, Alexandra and John Nichols, Mrs. Harold T. Martin, Mrs. George B. Young in memory of her husband, and the Rhoades Foundation; gift of John Bross and members of the Old Masters Society in memory of Louise Smith Bross; through prior gift of the George F. Harding, Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Kimball, Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson, and Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester collections
Curatorial Affinity Stream
Continuing the Universe of Fra Bartolommeo (Baccio della Porta; Italian, 1472-1517)
Renaissance • Italy • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries
Continuous Discovery