flemish school of the last third of the 16th century
"The Nativity
Oil on panel. Three vertical boards. Flooring.
In the sky, cherubs present the instruments of the Passion: nails and hammer, pincers and crown of thorns. To the left an angel supports the column of the Flagellation, another the rush of the Ecce Homo, a third the staff surmounted by the sponge of vinegar with the spear that will pierce his side; finally to the right a fourth tilts the ladder of the Deposition from the Cross.
On the reverse, lower right, a handwritten label attributes the work to Otto van Veen (1558 - 1629).
(Old varnish soiled, small gaps in the backgrounds, old restorations, disjunction of the boards on the right, small traces of vertical cracks).
Height 107 cm x W 76.5 cm
This is a Nativity by a Flemish painter from the late 16th century, strongly influenced by Venetian painting, particularly in the angels in the sky and the drapery.
Good overall condition despite the disjunction of the boards on the right and the soiling of the pictorial layer, solidly executed, with few gaps and restorations, and presenting, in the form of a detailed prolepse, the complete iconography of the instruments of the Passion.
