The Nativity of Jesus Christ - this beautiful fragment of a Nativity scene survives amid the many Biblical frescoes painted between the late 14th century and early 16th century on the arcades and vaulted ceilings of the medieval cloister beside the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta at Bressanone Brixen, South Tyrol, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.
Bressanone-Brixen, South Tyrol, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy: the Virgin Mary prays for her newborn son as the baby Jesus lies before her in his crib, a golden halo around his head and with his left hand making a gesture of benediction. This beautiful fragment of a Nativity scene survives amid the many Biblical frescoes painted from the late 1300s onwards on the arcades and ribbed ceiling vaults of the medieval cloister beside the Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta (Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption). The earliest Late Gothic frescoes here were painted around 1390 by a group of artists active throughout this mainly German-speaking region. Later frescoes are believed to be either solo work by the 15th century painter and sculptor Lienhart Scherhauff (also known as Leonhard von Brixen or Leonardo da Bressanone), or are by his studio, which produced fresco cycles for churches throughout South and East Tyrol. Lienhart and his artists, with their delicate style, transformed the often harsh and crude nature of earlier Tyrolean Christian art, most obviously in the softer and more lifelike faces of their Biblical characters. Some works here also feature proof of Leonhard’s own hand: the scorpion signature emblem he used that prompted his title of Maestro dello Scorpione (Master of the Scorpion). The spa city of Bressanone-Brixen was founded in 901 AD, becoming the seat of powerful Prince Bishops whose influence forged links between southern Germany and northern Italy. South Tyrol became part of Italy after the 1914-18 First World War.
Size: 4288px × 2848px
Location: Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, Bressanone-Brixen, South Tyrol, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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