Il presepio di san Giuseppe

Il presepio di san Giuseppe — the Christmas crib or Nativity of Saint Joseph — is an undated canvas at the Worthing Museum and Art Gallery in West Sussex, depicting the stable scene of the Nativity from the perspective emphasizing Joseph's role as guardian and protector of the holy family. The Italian tradition of the presepio — the devotional Nativity scene — was deeply embedded in Franciscan piety and popular devotion, and paintings of this type served as portable or domestic equivalents of the three-dimensional presepe nativity displays associated with Franciscan churches. Jacopo Bassano's multiple Nativity compositions explore the scene from varying angles and with varying emphases, and a work emphasizing Joseph connects to the renewed interest in his role in Counter-Reformation theology. Worthing's museum holds a collection of European paintings assembled through civic donation and bequest, with Italian works appearing alongside the British collection. The undated status makes precise attribution within the Bassano family workshop difficult.

Oil on canvas, this nativity composition would organize the stable scene with the Holy Family at center, likely illuminated by the Christ Child's radiance supplemented by a candle or torch. Joseph's inclusion as a prominent figure rather than a peripheral one distinguishes this from many traditional nativity compositions. Bassano's handling of the warm, enclosed stable interior — straw, wooden beams, animals — provides his characteristic textural inventory.