The Nativity (detail, 1490-1495), by Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439-1502), San Domenico, Siena
The Sienese artist Francesco di Giorgio Martini like many of his fellow artists in the Renaissance received commissions from wealthy patrons to paint altarpieces to decorate their private chapels in churches. This painting of the Nativity remains to this day in the Dominican church of San Domenico, five hundred years after it was first installed in this Sienese church. Francesco fills the composition with the figures and setting we would expect. In the foreground, Mary and Joseph gaze upon the Christ-child with loving devotion. On either side of the central figures of the holy family we find an adoring pair of angels (at left) while opposite on the right we recognise shepherds, who we identify through their rustic costumes and weathered skin. A monumental arch dominates the view towards the middle distance (the upper portion is cut off in the detail reproduced). In the centre of the arch we find the ox and the ass, familiar from countless nativity scenes, their presence witness to the humble circumstances of Christ’s birth. The stones from the arch which lies fallen around the animals strike a discordant note in this seemingly tranquil scene. The cracks in the fabric of the arch and the debris symbolise the passing of the old world. Christ’s birth, viewers understood, ushered in a new covenant of love between God and all humanity. Francesco hints at the future suffering of this appealing Child who gazes out towards the spectator. In a sombre detail we note how a fragment from the fallen arch now cradles the Christ child’s head and torso. Christ’s victory over death and sin will not be achieved without immense suffering. Besides recalling the collapse of the old order, the marble fragment also propels our attention forward to the scene of Christ’s burial in the tomb.
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