The Nativity c. 1460

Domenico Gagini carved this marble panel of the Nativity sometime in the 15th century. Religious imagery like this served as an important cultural touchstone, particularly in Italy. In this case, the panel is organized as a hierarchy, with God at the top presiding over the scene, followed by angels, then Mary and Joseph, and finally the Christ child. The composition would have been very familiar to people at the time, and it’s likely that Gagini was commissioned to produce this scene specifically because it would be legible to a wide audience. As such, the piece functions as a tool of social cohesion, reinforcing shared religious beliefs and associated social values. To better understand this piece, one could look into the popular religious culture of 15th century Italy, including things like sermons, devotional literature, and the role of religious guilds and confraternities in promoting specific images. The goal is to understand art as something embedded in the social and institutional context of its time.