After three years of painstaking work, Piero della Francesca’s famous Nativity, from the early 1480s, has returned to public display in the National Gallery in London just in time for Christmas. After an uncommonly difficult restoration, carried out by the Gallery’s own Conservation Department, the world-renowned piece made its long-awaited return to view on 1 December.
Previously understood to have been part of an altarpiece, a new theory of teleology now reigns supreme and it is believed to have been created as a domestic painting instead. Perhaps even, some now argue, it was painted by Piero to adorn the walls of the principal bed-chamber in his own family’s palazzo.
To reflect this change of understanding more appropriately, Nativity is newly displayed in a carved walnut frame from the same period: another recent acquisition by the Gallery. It now hangs in a room alone, inviting visitors to reflect quietly on its re-affirmed beauty and relevant seasonal depiction of the well-known Christmas scene.
The conservation and restoration of the work was led by the Gallery’s Senior Restorer, Jill Dunkerton, with structural work on the painting’s panel support done under the supervision of conservator Britta New.The painstaking effort and time needed to overcome the many challenges that came with the conservation treatment have been more than vindicated with many long-standing mysteries surrounding the painting finally answered.
“Much of Piero’s original intention is newly legible, such as the overall sense of space, and the divine light falling on the shed’s stone wall through a hole in its roof. The lack of shadows of the figures, long thought to indicate that the painting was unfinished, appears to have been a conscious decision on Piero’s part, in order to present Christ’s Nativity as the miraculous vision described by Saint Bridget of Sweden, a famous 14th-century mystic. By setting Bridget’s vision within a familiar Tuscan landscape, Piero brought the extraordinary circumstances of Christ’s birth directly into his own world.”
The painting depicts the classic nativity scene, as described in the vision of St Bridget. The Virgin Mary kneels in adoration of her recently-born son and Messiah before a rundown barn, making plain the humble nature of His birth. She is flanked by her husband, Joseph, who is seated atop a donkey’s saddle in a pose that reflects the famous contemporary statue “Spinario”, which is now in the Met. Behind him are two shepherds, one of whom is gesticulating towards the divine light falling from the sky.
A band of angels supports the Virgin in prayer, providing harmony and a sense of divinity in what is otherwise a very rustic scene – the Umbrian landscape of Piero’s native San Sepolcro. The work is likely one of Piero’s last paintings and represents the maturity in style of colour palette and light that is associated with his later life.
“Spending the last three years with this much-loved painting has been a real privilege,” said Dunkerton, “but also a great responsibility. Every decision, every tiny brush stroke of retouching, affects our perception of its appearance and meaning, possibly for many generations. I hope that visitors will now be able to experience its quiet magic without the distraction of the past damage.”
The painting was acquired by the National Gallery from Alexander Barker in 1874. By then the wooden panel had broken, the painting itself was stained and the shepherds had been subjected to such abrasive washing that the drawing underneath was laid bare. Nevertheless, the Gallery still paid a huge sum for the piece – twice what it spent on Mars and Venus by Botticelli during the same period. So large was the price tag that the then Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, was forced to defend the acquisition in Parliament. Hansard records the defence by the Prime Minister, who concluded, “I congratulate the country on having acquired […] a picture of the most rare and interesting character, and which I think will add to the beauty and value of the National Collection.”
There are few doubts today about the value of this work to the National Gallery. With its restoration we are now lucky enough to appreciate the image returned to a glory not seen for centuries. “Piero’s ‘Nativity’ is a beautiful and profound meditation on the Christmas story,” insists Gabriele Finaldi, the Director of the National Gallery. “The recent conservation project has enabled us to see just how carefully planned every element of the picture is, from the play of light across surfaces to the rendition of the distant San Sepolcro hills. Over five centuries after Piero’s lifetime, we can still marvel at his artistic vision, his skill and his sheer inventiveness.”
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