Nativity
Artist
Cornelis van Cleve
(Flemish, 1520 – 1567/1614)
Datec. 1540
CultureNetherlandish
MediumOil on wood panel
ClassificationPaintings
ProvenanceJohn Webb; Christie's sale, December 14, 1928 (no. 133 as Lambert Lombard); Dawson; with W. Sabin; purchased by John Ringling after December 14, 1928 (as Attributed to Lambert); bequest to The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 1936
Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936
Object numberSN201
Cornelis was the son of the famous Antwerp painter, Joos van Cleve (d. 1540), and his painting style follows the lead of his father. What is perhaps most important about the Ringling picture is its assimilation of Italian motifs, in this case the circle of Raphael. In the early 16th century, a trip to Rome was de rigueur for an aspiring Flemish artist, although it is uncertain whether van Cleve traveled there. In this depiction of the Nativity, the gleaming figures of the Madonna and Child are contrasted with the darkened, shadowy forms of the onlookers surrounding them.
On View
On viewLocation
DimensionsImage: 42 7/8 x 32 5/8 in. (108.9 x 82.9 cm)- Museum of Art, Gallery 03, Wall South
Frame: 49 3/8 × 39 1/8 in. (125.4 × 99.4 cm)
