Geboorte van Christus 1621 - 1669

Francesco Giovane created this print of the Nativity in seventeenth-century Italy. The image presents familiar, culturally-entrenched ideas of the Holy Family: Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus, attended by angels. The visual codes here, however, communicate the social and political norms of the time. Consider the positioning of the figures – Mary is central, but Joseph is presented as an elderly, secondary figure. This hierarchy reflects the patriarchal structure of the period. The presence of angels suggests divine endorsement of this arrangement, thereby reinforcing the authority of the Church. Giovane’s artistic choices also speak to the broader political context of seventeenth-century Italy, which was dominated by the Catholic Church. Religious art served as a powerful tool for conveying the values and ideologies of the Church to a largely illiterate population. By examining such prints alongside other historical documents, we can gain a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between art, religion, and power in early modern Italy. The meaning of art is always contingent on social and institutional context.