The Nativity

The Nativity by Perino del Vaga was commissioned in 1534 for the church of Santa Maria della Consolazione in Genoa, likely by a member of the Baciadonne family. It remained in situ until the late 18th century, after which it entered the collection of Cardinal Joseph Fesch in Paris. Following Fesch’s death, the painting was sold in his Roman auction at Palazzo Ricci on 17 March 1845.

It was acquired by George William Ward, 11th Baron Ward, by 1849, and remained at Witley Court until its sale in 1892. It passed through London dealers to Sir Francis Cook by 1892, and remained in the Cook family at Doughty House until 1947–48. It was then sold to Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi, who resold it to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation in March 1949. The Foundation donated the work to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1961.

The Nativity is currently held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it entered the collection in 1961 as a gift from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. The work was originally commissioned for Santa Maria della Consolazione in Genoa and remained there until the late 18th century. Its provenance includes ownership by Cardinal Joseph Fesch, the Ward family at Witley Court, and the Cook family at Doughty House in Richmond, Surrey.

The painting was lent by the 1st Earl of Dudley to the 1857 Manchester exhibition. It was sold by the Cook family to Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi in 1948 before being acquired by the Kress Foundation in March 1949.

The Nativity (1534) is an oil on panel transferred to canvas religious painting by Perino del Vaga. It was commissioned by a member of the Baciadonne family for Santa Maria della Consolazione in Genoa, where it remained until the late 18th century before entering the collection of Cardinal Joseph Fesch and later the English aristocracy. The work was shown at the 1857 Manchester exhibition and noted by 19th‑century scholar G.F. Waagen.

After passing through the Cook family, it was acquired by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation and gifted to the National Gallery of Art in 1961. Scholarship situates the painting within Perino’s High Mannerist oeuvre, reflecting Raphael‑derived compositional ideals.

The painting titled The Nativity depicts a central moment in Christian theology. Executed as an oil painting, it was originally rendered on a wooden panel before being transferred to canvas. This work emerged during the Italian Renaissance, a period marked by significant shifts in artistic practice and intellectual thought. It features key religious figures, offering insight into the artistic conventions and devotional practices of its time.