Who painted The Nativity?

The Nativity was painted by François Perrier in 1633.

Where can I see The Nativity?

The Nativity is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is The Nativity?

The Nativity is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

The Nativity

François Perrier , 1633

The Nativity is an ink print by the Baroque artist François Perrier. It dates from 1633 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Executed in black and white, it portrays the biblical birth of Christ within a modest stable setting, populated by several figures and animals.

François Perrier’s 1633 print titled *The Nativity* is an etching combined with engraving on laid paper. Executed in black and white, it portrays the biblical birth of Christ within a modest stable setting, populated by several figures and animals. The work is part of Perrier’s printmaking activity during his early‑seventeenth‑century career and is presently in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Subject & Meaning

The composition centers on the infant Jesus lying in a manger, attended by a kneeling woman holding a cloth and another woman seated with a child on her lap. A man leans against a wall, while additional figures stand in the doorway, creating a narrative of reverence and domestic intimacy that reflects traditional Christian iconography of the Nativity.

Technique & Style

Perrier employed a hybrid process, etching the primary design into a metal plate and adding engraved lines for greater precision. The use of deep cross‑hatching produces strong shadows and textures, especially in the drapery folds and wooden beams, while the laid‑paper support contributes a subtle tonal quality characteristic of early Baroque printmaking.

History & Provenance

Active as a painter, draftsman, and printmaker, Perrier used this medium to disseminate the Roman Baroque decorative style he helped introduce to France. The *Nativity* print has remained in institutional hands and is now owned by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, where it is catalogued among the museum’s early‑modern European prints.