The nativity

Piero della Francesca (ca. 1415-1492)


Item type:
painting
Date of creation:
1470
Height:
124.5 cm  (49 in.)
Width:
123.0 cm  (48 7/16 in.)
Technique / Medium:
oil on poplar wood

    Item location

  • National Gallery (London)
    [Museum inv. no.: NG908]

Description

In this nativity scene is an angelic choir consisting of three youths playing instruments and two singing.

People as subjects

St. Mary (Blessed Virgin)
Jesus Christ
St. Joseph (born late 1st century BCE, died 1st century CE)

Iconclass

73B13
Mary, Joseph and the new-born Christ (Nativity)

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Lute [3394] (Two lutes)
Fiddle [3142]

RIdIM images


Photo © The National Gallery, London

Image URLs

image link 1

Bibliographic references

Ember, Ildikó. Music in painting: Music as a symbol in Renaissance and Baroque painting. Trans. by Mary and András Boros-Kazai (Budapest: Corvina, 1984) plate 13. ISBN 9631317234. RILM 1984-6813.

RIdIM record id

3448