Francesco da Ponte Bassano (Bassano del Grappa, Veneto, 1549 - Venice, 1592) "Birth of the Virgin Mary" Oil on canvas. Signed. The Nativity of Mary is an iconography that was drawn together in several apocryphal gospels, including the Gospel of James. Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, not having had children in the marriage, promise to consecrate the child that is granted to them to God, and for that purpose, Saint Joachim goes to the temple to make an offering. After being rejected by the priest, he withdraws to meditate until an angel tells him and his wife that he will father a daughter, who would in turn be the Mother of the Son of God. On the canvas you can see Saint Anne lying on the bed, attended by several women. One of them offers her a tray with eggs so that she can recover the strength lost in childbirth, while a servant holds the baby Mary and prepares her for a bath in a basin and several women prepare bandages and towels. A servant kneels as a sign of respect before her. Saint Joachim is depicted in the scene, next to Saint Anne, despite this being uncommon. The interior of the house is sumptuous, with decorative elements and high quality furniture, marble columns, curtains and pitchers, among other elements. Francesco Bassano, known in Spain as "Bassano el Mozo" was a renowned Italian painter who worked in Venice, Florence and Rome and who belonged to a family of painters. As can be read in the Prado Museum encyclopedia , "he was the eldest son of the founder of this dynasty of artists [Jacopo Bassano], as well as the most gifted of the four brothers, all painters, who formed the Bassanesque workshop." His paintings were highly valued in the Spanish court of King Philip II and during the 17th century, which is why the Prado Museum has numerous works by the Bassanos. The Prado also reports that his outstanding paintings include "the seven canvases preserved from the series of «The months of the year», which are now entirely attributed to Francesco and had not been studied by specialists until recently." Bibliographic reference: - Museo del Prado (s.f.). "Bassano, Francesco da Ponte". Https://www.museodelprado.es/aprende/enciclopedia/voz/bassano-francesco-da-ponte/f8cb65f5-289b-462d-bdcb-e3b98135972f