The Nativities of the Accademia Gallery in Florence. A video story for a Merry Christmas

On the occasion of Christmas, the Accademia Gallery in Florence has come up with a special gift for all children and their families. A video story, entitled In a Night Full of Stars, which kicks off with these words “The story we are going to tell you goes back more than two millennia. It was a magical night when many extraordinary events happened; a very cold night but also a night full of stars, in which Mary gave birth to her Child, Jesus...” Devising the special video is director Cecilie Hollberg together with Graziella Cirri, head of the museum’s educational services: it will be available online on the Accdemia Gallery’s YouTube channel from Wednesday, Dec. 23.

Many paintings over the centuries have depicted the magic of the mystery of the birth of the Baby Jesus; the Nativity has been one of the most frequently addressed themes in the history of art. The video will feature some of the masterpieces in the museum collection that depict this very theme.

“Very sweet and expressive are the paintings dedicated to the Nativity, which we preserve in the Accademia Gallery in Florence,” says Cecilie Hollberg, “and we are happy to celebrate this event in universal history with the purely artistic representations of our works, which you will be able, thanks to this video, to observe with a different, animated approach, in a more direct, up-close way, dwelling on unusual details that can sometimes be missed. It is our heartfelt wish to all for a peaceful Christmas!”

It starts with theAdoration of the Child by Lorenzo di Credi, a 16th-century Florentine master known for his finesse and precision. The Child appears in the center of the scene, surrounded by Mary, Joseph and some angels, whose faces are striking in their delicacy; in the background are the frightened shepherds “...awakened suddenly by an angel wrapped in light.” And the story continues, through the narrative voice of Graziella Cirri, with the 14th-century panels by Cenni di Francesco di ser Cenni, Mariotto di Cristofano and Taddeo Gaddi, which capture us with the preciousness of their gold backgrounds and the intensity of the characters.

Pictured is Lorenzo di Credi, Adoration of the Child, detail (c. 1500; Florence, Galleria dell’Accademia)

The Nativities of the Accademia Gallery in Florence. A video story for a Merry Christmas

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