THE DISPLAY in Belfast of a rare nativity painting by Italian artist Baldassare Peruzzi has been hailed as a Christmas miracle.
The High Renaissance artist worked primary on frescos, with The Nativity being one of his rare surviving oil paintings and one of only a few outside of Italy.
Due to its rarity, an export bar had been placed on the painting to prevent it leaving Britain and give museums an opportunity to bid for the artwork, which dates to the 1510s.
It was acquired by National Museums NI thanks to a successful fundraising campaign and following conservation and analysis work at the National Gallery in London, is now on display in Belfast.
The artwork is the first High renaissance painting included in a public collection in Northern Ireland.
'Christmas miracle'
Arts and Heritage Minister Stephen Parkinson said the completion of the painting's conservation treatment in time for a festive display was 'wonderfully appropriate'.
"Advent is a time for celebrating miraculous gifts, exciting arrivals, and things which bring joy to the world — so it's a wonderfully appropriate time for Peruzzi's depiction of The Nativity to go on public display," he said.
His words were echoed by Anne Stewart, Senior Curator of Art at National Museums NI, who hailed its acquisition as a 'Christmas miracle'.
"Most of Peruzzi’s work was in fresco and much has been lost," she said.
The Nativity, by Baldassare Peruzzi, has been on an incredible journey to get to the Ulster Museum. See some of the work that has gone into placing The Nativity in its new, permanent home!
Explore The Nativity here → https://t.co/Z9tWhIRiQO#TheNativity #PeruzziInBelfast pic.twitter.com/nFowz3cm6h
— Ulster Museum (@UlsterMuseum) December 13, 2023
"His oil paintings are extremely rare so it's something of a Christmas miracle that we are able to welcome visitors to the Ulster Museum to enjoy this exciting new acquisition.
"We're incredibly grateful to our funding partners, but also to the National Gallery for the scientific analysis and conservation of The Nativity made possible by the National Conservation Programme supported by the Aldama Foundation.
"It's wonderful to give the gift of Renaissance art to our audiences, especially as the subject of this painting depicts a scene which is synonymous with this time of year."
'Extraordinarily rare painting'
Peruzzi was a highly esteemed, versatile artist — as well as painting, he was also a renowned architect, draughtsman and theatre designer.
A contemporary of Raphael, he was considered one of the leading figures in art in Rome in the first decades of the 16th century.
The Nativity was the only painting by him in a British collection and exemplified many of the innovations taking place in Roman painting during this period, most notably its night-time setting.
In its annual report published last December, the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA) said The Nativity was 'undoubtedly one of the most significant surviving paintings by Peruzzi [and] placed the artist at the forefront of innovation in Roman painting around the mid-1510s'.
"This was an extraordinarily rare painting as very few by Peruzzi have survived, and almost none were outside Italy," added the report.
"It was remarkably well preserved.
"The inventiveness of the picture, the striking tonality and composition, and the artist's painterly way of depicting light and architecture made it of outstanding significance for the study of early 16th century painting in Rome."
The Nativity is on permanent display at the Ulster Museum on Stranmillis Road, Belfast in Art Gallery 1, 'Renaissance to Romanticism' and admission to the venue is free.
