The Virgin Mary is shown breastfeeding the infant Christ outside a stable, as Joseph sits reading close by. This scene is imbued with a domestic charm. A group of three birds occupy the hay loft of the ramshackle stable and go about their own activities, just as the holy trio below are fully absorbed in theirs. The strong ox peering around the stable and the ass within are commonly found in representations of the Nativity. This drawing displays the overall refinement and steady touch that is so typical of Campagnola?s mature drawing style of the mid-1540s.
Domenico Campagnola (Italian (Venetian), about 1500 - 1564)
Domenico, whose family was of German extraction, was born in Venice. He became the pupil and adopted son of Giulio Campagnola, under whose influence he acquired what was to become a lifelong interest in printmaking. Although Domenico was a proficient painter, he was an extremely talented graphic artist and a prolific draughtsman with a particular interest in landscapes. Many of his drawings display his awareness of Titian?s landscape drawings. Domenico also admired Titian?s woodcuts and began to design his own, which he cut himself rather than rely on a professional block cutter. Domenico had left Venice by 1531, and spent the later part of his career in Padua.
