Adoration of the Child in the Night Light

The long critical success of the painting, which has been mentioned for the exceptional quality of both the painting and style, and for the indication of its date of completion, 1510, which makes it an important landmark in the difficult chronological reconstruction of Defendente’s career, as well as one of the best-known works in the Museum. It is characterised by its highly sophisticated effects of light and its references to Northern-European art which filtered through to Defendente in the form of illuminations and engravings. Also the imagery of the holy scene is carefully chosen: Joseph, who has come out of the cave in order not to be present during childbirth, bears a lantern or a lamp made futile by the divine light emanated by the Child, over whom the Virgin leans in adoration, with her hands joined; The entire scene is plunged into darkness, which, as the Gospel of St Luke explains, reminds us that our Saviour appears “to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” [Luke 1, 79] It may be surmised that the origin of this composition is an engraving with The Nativity by Martin Schongauer.