The Nativity

The Maestro Daddesco, named for his stylistic proximity to Bernardo Daddi, was an anonymous Florentine painter active in the early Trecento. This Nativity scene reflects the widespread devotion to the Incarnation that drove Gothic painting commissions, with the subject serving as a focal point for Christmas liturgical celebrations. The painter's closeness to Daddi's style places the work within Florence's most productive workshop tradition of the 1320s.

Tempera and gold on panel, depicting the birth of Christ in a compositional format derived from Giottesque models. The figures show the softer, more lyrical modeling characteristic of Daddi's circle, with careful attention to the rustic stable setting and gentle narrative detail.