Nativity
Loading...
Authors
Unknown
Date
Type
Image
Language
Keyword
Nativity , Creche , Presepe , Jesus , Birth , Cave
Alternative Title
Abstract
This Nativity scene in the Chiesa Matrice in Putignano was thought to be a work by the shop of Stefano da Putignano and thus sixteenth-century, but now scholars have shown (through documentary and stylistic evidence) that at any rate Mary and Joseph and the frescoes were made in the style of the famous sculptor, but centuries later, in the eighteenth century. The shepherdesses and classical ruins painted on the walls of the chapel and the sculpture of Mary clearly belong to this later culture, but the unknown imitator has cleverly mimicked Stefano's style in the figure of Joseph, who has the blocky features, tight curls, and thick drapery characteristic of the Renaissance master. This creche scene, therefore, demonstrates Stefano's enduring fame as a sculptor, especially in his hometown. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Description
Chiesa Matrice, Putignano
Citation
Clara Gelao, Stefano da Putignano ""virtuoso scultore del rinascimento (Bari: Mario Adda, 2020), 214-15.