The Nativity, with God the Father Surrounded by Angels and Cherubim
Francesco di Giorgio Martini·c. 1470
Historical Context
Francesco di Giorgio Martini's Nativity with God the Father Surrounded by Angels from around 1470 is a devotional panel combining the intimate scene of Christ's birth with a celestial vision of God the Father. Francesco di Giorgio, one of the Renaissance's most versatile intellects, was primarily celebrated as an architect and engineer, but his paintings demonstrate the refined, lyrical quality of the Sienese school. The combination of earthly and heavenly realms reflects the theological richness of Renaissance devotional art.
Technical Analysis
The tempera on panel demonstrates the refined Sienese technique with delicate drawing, jewel-like colors, and decorative gold elements in the celestial zone. The elegant figure types and luminous palette show Francesco di Giorgio's ability to combine decorative beauty with genuine devotional feeling.
Provenance
NGA panel, _God the Father Surrounded by Angels and Cherubim_: Alphonse Kann [1870-1948], Paris; purchased January 1917 by (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London, New York, and Paris);[1] sold 12 November 1920 to Robert Lehman [1892-1969], New York;[2] sold June 1943 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[3] gift 1952 to NGA. MMA panel, _The Nativity_: Charles Butler [1822-1910), London, and Warren Wood, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, by 1897; (Thos. Agnew & Sons, Ltd., London); purchased March 1904 by Robert Henry [1850-1929] and Evelyn Holford [1856-19434] Benson, London; returned to (Thos. Agnew & Sons, Ltd., London); purchased June 1905 by (Alexandre Imbert, Rome);[4] sold 1917 through Francis Mason Perkins to George [1858-1941] and Florence [1875-1930] Blumenthal, New York;[5] gift 1941 to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. [1] X Book, Reel 422, Duveen Brothers Records, accession number 960015, Research Library, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles. [2] See copy of the Duveen Brothers bill of sale to Robert Lehman, in NGA curatorial files. Robert Lehman was the son of Philip Lehman [1861-1947], and they collaborated on the formation of the Lehman collection. [3] The bill of sale between Robert Lehman and the Kress Foundation for fifteen paintings, including "God the Father and Angels," is dated 11 June 1943; payment was made four days later (copy in NGA curatorial files). [4] The details of Agnew's and Benson's ownership of the painting are from the Agnew stock books and outlined in the Getty Provenance Index. The painting was stock number 1142, and the initial entry is marked "half profit C[harles] F[airfax] M[urray]." The Bensons apparently had the painting on approval; the line giving Benson as the buyer 28 March 1904 is crossed out and the name and date "Alexandre Imbert, 8 June 1905," has been added. [5] Fausto Nicolai, "More than an expatriate scholar: Frederick Mason Perkins as art dealer, agent and intermediary for American collectors of the twentieth century," _Journal of the History of Collections_ 28, no. 2 (2016): 314-315, fig. 3.
