Birth of Christ
by ALBERTINELLI, Mariotto, Oil on wood, 23 x 50 cm
The predella of the altarpiece with the Visitation shows three stories from the life of Christ: the Annunciation, the Birth of Christ and the Circumcision. Despite the small size of the three compartments, Albertinelli succeeds in constructing austere, essential spaces which display a great formal balance. The small, full figures are firmly and vigorously placed in scenes which respect the most rigorous perspective laws of the Florentine Quattrocento.