THE MASTER OF THE STOCKHOLM PIETÀ (ACTIVE IN MILAN IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 16TH CENTURY) THE NATIVITY WITH A SHEPHERD AND ANGELS Walnut panel, one board, not parqueted Inscribed on the reverse "Da Isabel / de Soto". Old restorations The Nativity with a shepherd and angels, walnut pane, one board, not parqueted, with restorations 65 x 50 CM - 25,2 x 19,6 IN. PROVENANCE Dona Isabel de Soto (according to an inscription on the reverse). A full note by Francesco Frangi accompanies the painting. The Master of the Stockholm Pietà was identified in the mid-twentieth century by the art historian Federico Zeri (1). For stylistic reasons, he grouped three paintings under the same attribution around the Pietà in the National Museum in Stockholm: Virgin and Child from the National Gallery in London, Virgin and Child with Angels and Cherubs from the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo and The Holy Family with the Young Saint John the Baptist and an Angel from a private collection in Rome. His style was influenced by Florentine mannerism and Leonardo's Milanese followers. Subsequent research, including that of Marco Bona Castellotti (2), has associated this painter with the figure of "Il Sordo", active in Milan in the 1580s, which places most of his production after the mid-sixteenth century. The work of the Master of the Stockholm Pietà is characterised by a fluid style, light brushstrokes, subtle references to Leonardo's compositions, freedom of execution and a bluish, lunar light evoking a personal, almost mystical vision of the sacred scene. His use of recurring motifs, such as the precisely painted bird in the foreground, is often interpreted as a signature. These stylistic elements, confirmed by recent comparisons, indicate a strong influence from Lombardy and a possible link with artists such as Bramantino and Lotto. The inscription on the reverse refers to a collection belonging to a noble Spanish family. (1) F. Zeri, The Master of the Stockholm Pietà, in The Burlington Magazine, XCII, 1950. (2) M. Bona Castellotti, Leonardeschi tra le righe, in I leonardeschi a Milano. Fortuna e collezionismo, acts of the conference (Milan, 25-26 September 1990), Milan 1991, pp. 230-234.