How does The Nativity (Victor) elucidate its History?
The work of art consists of tempera and gold leaf.  It follows the traditional Greek Italian Byzantine manner.  The height is 22.3 in (56.6 cm) and the width is 16.1 in (40.8 cm).  The work was completed sometime in the late 17th century possibly on the island of Zakynthos.  The work is part of the Late Cretan School.  Victor followed the traditional lines frequently used by Proto-Renaissance painters.  Countless patrons preferred the style.  The Madonna follows the traditional Greek Byzantine style it shares similar characteristics with Duccio's masterpiece.  A shepherd visits Joseph in the lower left-hand corner of the work.  He is troubled because his child was born in a barn.  A maiden to the right of the Joseph figure is cleaning Jesus near a bucket full of water.  In the center of the work, the Virgin Mary is painted following the lines of the Greek-Italian traditional Byzantine style.  The painter employs complex lines and shading to visually portray her heavenly robe.  The Virgin looks away from the viewers as if she is troubled.  An ox and donkey greet the Christ Child.  An angel instructs one of the shepherds  in the background.  To our left, a cavalry of wealthy Magi are approaching to give gifts to the worried holy couple.  The painter attempts to create a multidimensional landscape.  The work of art is filled with animals and vegetation and a superlative mountainous environment.  An unknown Cretan painter sometime in the 16th century created a similar work and added a more complex landscape but preserved the heavenly figures.  Victor's work is an excellent example of traditional Greek Italian Byzantine craftsmanship mixed with Venetian painting.
shepherd Duccio Cretan School Venetian painting Zakynthos Victor