The Nativity at Night

Michael Sittow painted this Nativity at Night around 1500, bringing his exceptionally refined technique to the nocturnal Nativity format. Sittow's rare surviving works are prized for their luminous quality and exquisite craftsmanship. Born in Tallinn and trained in Bruges, he served the Spanish and Burgundian courts. The oil medium allowed for rich tonal transitions and glazed layers of color that created luminous depth impossible with the older tempera technique. Such devotional panels served both liturgical contexts in churches and chapels and private devotional use in the homes of wealthy families who maintained personal altars and oratories.

Oil on panel with Sittow's remarkably refined technique and luminous palette. The nocturnal scene is rendered with the delicate precision and light effects that distinguish his work among the finest Netherlandish painters.