The Nativity

Antoniazzo Romano painted this Nativity in the 1480s, during the pontificate of Sixtus IV when Rome was undergoing major artistic renewal. As the city's principal painter, Antoniazzo received numerous commissions from Roman churches and confraternities. This work shows his absorption of influences from Florentine painters like Melozzo da Forlì and Perugino who were active in Rome during this period.

The tempera on wood technique demonstrates Antoniazzo's smooth, refined painting surface and bright, clear palette. The landscape setting and spatial arrangement of figures reflect the growing influence of Umbrian painting on Roman art in the late Quattrocento.