Giotto, Nativity (detail)

Description

The work is part of the Stories of Jesus, which is a series of episodes with Jesus as the protagonist and which are located in the upper central register. The scene is really very interesting and Giotto as a historical and book basis for the creation of the work used countless sources including the Gospels, but also the Protoevangelium of James and even the Golden Legend. The scene is set in a completely rocky place, as if the protagonists were hiding in a mountain range, and in this natural landscape, this small wooden structure stands out where Mary and Jesus are, on the far left of the composition is the attendant, who is helping Mary to put Jesus in the manger. Joseph, on the other hand, is represented in the lower part of the fresco, with a light brown robe and with his head in his hands: his expression is particularly dreamy, due to the incredulity of everything that is happening at that moment. On the left side there are also the ox and the donkey, while on the right, two shepherds are depicted from behind who are warned by an angel who is explaining to them what is happening. Finally, the four angels who are above this sort of "hut" are praying and addressing these gestures to the Child who has just come into the world. The figure of Mary is very much in that she is embracing Jesus, but it is not mechanical, on the contrary it is very spontaneous and this realization allows the strong human element present within this episode to emerge.