The Birth of Christ in Venice

(1687 Venice - 1767 ibid.) Birth of Christ with Holy Spirit Nocturnal scene with the child lying in the crib on cloths, to whom Mary turns with reverence, intimacy, love, and humility, above him the hovering dove of the Holy Spirit. This late Baroque work, painted around 1730-1740, is executed with effective lighting and coloration, and is considered one of the main representatives of Venetian Rococo alongside Tiepolo. The sought-after and esteemed artist was a founding member of the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice and served as its president from 1759 to 1761. Pittioni received many significant commissions from Italy, Germany, Austria, and Poland. The painting is most likely an earlier study or excerpt from the famous large-scale painting by Pittioni, "The Nativity with God the Father and the Holy Ghost," created around 1740, in the National Gallery in London (Inv. No. NG6279; dimensions 222.7 cm x 153.5 cm), where the present small composition is focused entirely on the figure group of the Madonna with the Holy Spirit. While this figure group largely corresponds, the lighting and coloration clearly differentiate from each other. The London painting features a brighter, more vibrant coloration and softer lighting compared to the nocturnal, effectively depicted situation. Among the other comparable paintings is the "Head of the Virgin" (La Tête de Vierge) painted by Pittioni around 1730, in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Strasbourg, as well as another version of Mary (around 1730-1735) in the State Art Gallery in Berlin (Inv. No. 1918). Oil on canvas, relined; 28.5 cm x 23.5 cm. Frame. Accompanied by an expertise from Professor Dr. Robert Eigenberger, Vienna, May 1971.