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The Annunciation and The Nativity

Jaume Ferrer II

1457

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Religious Catalonia

Dominant colour

The Annunciation and The Nativity is a 1457 unspecified by Jaume Ferrer II, a Renaissance work, depicting Catalonia, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Jaume Ferrer II
When & what style?: 1457 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

These two paintings show the angel Gabriel telling Mary she’ll have baby Jesus. Then they show Jesus being born, with Mary resting in a stable. The gold background isn’t just paint—it’s thick raised decoration called pastiglia. Look close and you’ll see tiny raised dots and lines that catch the light. This style was popular in 15th-century Catalonia. Check out the central panel version at Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.

The story of this work

Overview

These paintings are believed to be the remaining components of a six-panel altarpiece. The large central panel is now preserved in Barcelona (Museu National d’Art de Catalunya). Ferrer collaborated with the painter Pere Garcia de Benavarri on this commission. Spanish works like these often feature elaborate treatment of the gold background, evident here in the exuberant raised decoration (called pastiglia) in the skies and the haloes, as well as other details. Here the Archangel Gabriel proclaims the Virgin’s destiny as the mother of Christ. The setting is an ordinary house, but simple…

Read the full account in the museum source.