The Nativity

This representation of the Nativity essentially draws on two sources. First and foremost is a passage in the Gospel of Luke, which recounts Joseph's journey to Bethlehem with his pregnant wife for a population census. According to the text it was there that Mary gave birth to Jesus in a stable. They were then visited by the shepherds, who spread the good news. The second source is a description of a vision by the 14th century mystic, St Bridget of Sweden. It refers to a divine light that radiated from the naked infant Christ’s body at his birth, brighter than any candle. The choice of a nocturnal setting afforded the opportunity to visualize this radiant light. Christ is shown lying in a crib surrounded by a throng of cherubs. Mary kneels in prayer at the left, enveloped in a dark blue cloak, which she wears over a red undergarment. Her hair, worn loose, falls over her shoulders and a halo with small rays frames her head. She gazes at the child with an expression of humility and motherly love. Joseph stands behind the crib dressed in brown. He has lowered his head and holds a candle in his left hand. This casts a beam to the right where the ox and ass crouch directly beside the child. The shepherds are depicted above them behind a low stone wall and appear to have just arrived. At the left the scene of the annunciation is visible on a hill in the background. This scene precedes the central one; the shepherds can be clearly identified among the herd of sheep.

Two coats of arms are painted on the reverse: on the right that of the Electorate of Saxony under Friedrich the Wise (1463-1525) and Johann the Steadfast (1468-1532) and on the left that of the Duchy of Braunschweig-Lüneburg.

[cda 2020]