Adoration of the Magi Altarpiece, left hand predella panel depicting the Nativity 1423

Gentile da Fabriano painted this Nativity scene, a left-hand predella panel from the Adoration of the Magi Altarpiece, with tempera on wood. The composition divides into distinct zones, horizontally and vertically, each operating under its own symbolic logic. To the left, a box-like structure frames two figures, their expressions veiled in shadow, while to the right, the scene of the Nativity unfolds. Note how the artist uses color to differentiate between the mundane and the divine, with earthy tones dominating the architectural and human elements, contrasting sharply with the radiant light emanating from the Christ child and the ethereal glow above. The landscape recedes into an ambiguous space, punctuated by stylized mountains and a star-filled sky, challenging our perception of depth. Fabriano’s deliberate flattening of perspective functions not as a limitation but as a means to emphasize the symbolic content. This panel asks us to consider how art can challenge fixed notions of space and representation.