Per la Nativita di Nostro Signore
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Object Label
In this exquisite drawing, a buttercup plant, rendered in fine, precise pen strokes applied in a stippled pattern, is nestled between the lyrics of an Italian folk ballad about Saint Zita. Although the floral decoration is not explicitly related to the song, the plant seems to interact with the verse, with a few bladelike leaves overlapping the text registers.
An expatriate living in Florence, Francesca Alexander gained international attention through the advocacy of the famous English art critic John Ruskin, who admired her artistic naturalism and religious piety. Ruskin helped her publish a compilation of embellished song sheets, including S. Zita, as Roadside Songs of Tuscany (1884–85).
Caption
Esther Frances (Francesca) Alexander American, 1837–1917. Per la Nativita di Nostro Signore, 1868–1882. Pen and ink on paper, Sheet: 15 1/8 x 10 15/16 in. (38.4 x 27.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 83.33.2. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 83.33.2_IMLS_PS3.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Title
Per la Nativita di Nostro Signore
Date
1868–1882
Medium
Pen and ink on paper
Classification
Dimensions
Sheet: 15 1/8 x 10 15/16 in. (38.4 x 27.8 cm)
Signatures
Unsigned
Inscriptions
Inscribed upper right corner in ink: "xcvii"
Credit Line
Dick S. Ramsay Fund
Accession Number
83.33.2
Rights
No known copyright restrictions
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