The Nativity 1417 - 1455

Zanobi Strozzi painted this small Nativity panel in fifteenth-century Italy using tempera, a technique where pigments are bound with egg yolk. Tempera demanded meticulous preparation. Artists like Strozzi would grind their own pigments from minerals and plants, then carefully layer them to create luminous effects. Note the gilded halos and the rich ultramarine blue of Mary’s robe, made from precious lapis lazuli, vividly evoking the sacredness of the scene. The small scale of the panel suggests it was made for private devotion. Its intimate nature invites quiet contemplation on the divine birth, reflecting the economic prosperity of Florence at the time, when the rise of a wealthy merchant class fueled a demand for such luxury items. Considering the skilled labor required for each stage, from pigment preparation to the delicate brushwork, reminds us of the value once placed on craftsmanship and materials. It challenges our modern tendency to separate "art" from the wider world of making.