Unto You A Child Is Born

"The Nativity at Night
late 15th century
GEERTGEN tot Sint Jansabout 1455/65 - about 1485/95
NG4081. Bought, 1925.

This is one of the most engaging and convincing early treatments of the Nativity as a night scene. The brilliant light in the foreground comes from the Christ Child in the crib. It illuminates the figure of the Virgin, who bends forward, hands joined in prayer, Saint Joseph in the background, and the figures of the delighted small angels to the left.The radiance of the angel announcing the birth to the shepherds on the distant hillside provides another contrast between darkness and divine light. A third and lesser source of light comes from the shepherds' fire.The idea of the infant Christ illuminating the Nativity scene comes from the writings of the 14th-century Saint Bridget of Sweden. She wrote that in her visions the light of the new-born child was so bright 'that the sun was not comparable to it'. A century later, the interest of artists such as Geertgen in depicting naturalistically the contrasts of extreme light and shade served to heighten the sense of the miraculous birth.

See The Nativity At Night here and click on the zoom symbol to explore - can you find the tiny fluttering angel?

Oil on oak34 x 25.3 cm.

National Gallery, London
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DN, England
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/ http://www.nationalgallery.co.uk/ "

Love, Grace, Mercy and Peace to All!