Antique Painting Nativity Oil On Canvas Italy Early XVIII Century Original

Oil on canvas. Central Italian school of the early 18th century.
The large scene depicts the Nativity of Jesus in the completely dark cave of Bethlehem, from which the human figures emerge with varying degrees of luminosity.
The Infant, held in the arms of His Mother as she wraps Him in swaddling clothes, draws all the light to Himself, then radiates it onto the other figures: Mary, a co-protagonist of the event, is completely bathed in it, while Joseph and the other figures—the visiting shepherds—are partially illuminated, their faces emerging from the darkness.
The ox, in the foreground on the right, is left in the darkness; as an animal, it does not benefit from the salvation brought by Jesus.
Of particular note are the position and role assigned to Joseph, who is also placed in the foreground and at the center, just like Mary and Jesus, and—most notably—is actively engaged in a conversation with the visiting woman, rather than being left, as is customary, in the background, occupied solely with contemplating his family.
The painting has been restored and repainted in the past.
It is presented in a period-style frame.
ARARPI0327034