The Birth of Christ (예수의 나심)

 

 

(눅 2:7)

첫아들을 낳아 강보로 싸서 구유에 뉘었으니 이는 여관에 있을 곳이 없음이러라

 

 

 

 

 

Anonymous

The Birth of Christ

oil and tempera on panel (33 × 21 cm) — c. 1400

Museum Mayer van den Bergh, Antwerp

 

This work is linked to Luke 2:7

 

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This pretty oak panel is painted with oil paint and tempera. Gold and silver were also used. It was part of a portable altarpiece, perhaps meant to be used while travelling. Because of its luxurious character the altarpiece is thought to have belonged to Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy. Two panels are in Antwerp, and two in Baltimore.

Very special about this panel is Joseph cutting his stocking. According to a legend he did so in order to have some cloth to swaddle the naked child in.

In medieval times a church in Aachen kept relics that were supposed to be Joseph's stockings. Around 1400 veneration of the stockings reached it peak. That is one of the reasons that the maker of the panels is placed in the Rhine-Meuse region.

More information on the altarpiece and images of the other panels can be found at The Baptism of Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

Botticelli (Sandro Filipepi) ca. 1445 – 1510

The Birth of Christ

tempera on canvas (109 × 75 cm) — 1500

  National Gallery, London

Botticelli (Sandro Filipepi) biography

 

This work is linked to Luke 2:7

 

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This work is also known as the Mystical Nativity. Mary, the ox and the ass are watching over the infant while Joseph is sleeping. The three men kneeling to the left of the stable are the Magi; they can be recognized by their long gowns. Kneeling to the right are the shepherds, wearing cheaper and so shorter outfits.

All the angels carry olive branches and the men are crowned with olive: a symbol of peace. The heavens over the stable have opened, allowing the golden light of paradise to shine down on the scene. The angels and the men are obviously celebrating the birth of the newborn king. In the corners in the foreground demons can be seen fleeing from all the joy into the underworld.

Many of the angels carry banners with texts like 'Gloria in excelsis deo' [Glory to God in Heaven] or texts that praise Mary - all in Latin.

Botticelli's mysticism is opposed to the naturalism that many other painters were practicing at the time. The word 'mysticism' refers to the subject being idealized and being depicted prettier than realistically possible.

The inscription at the top is in Greek and reads, in English: "I, Alessandro made this picture at the conclusion of the year 1500 in the troubles of Italy in the half time after the time according to the 11th chapter of Saint John in the second woe of the Apocalypse during the loosing of the devil for three and a half years then he will be chained in the 12th chapter and we shall see [...] as in this picture." The text refers to the book of the Revelation of St. John. This means that Botticelli's painting not only depicts the birth, but may also be seen as a vision of Jesus's Second Coming, heralding the end of the world.

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Campin ca. 1380 – 1444

Birth of Christ

oil on panel (86 × 72 cm) — ca. 1425-30

  Musée des beaux-arts, Dijon

Robert Campin biography

 

This work is linked to Luke 2:7

 

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Like many other depictions of the Birth, the tableau is based on a vision of the Swedish saint Birgitta (Bridget, 1302-1373). She claimed Mary described to her how she kneeled in prayer, the shining child before her. Joseph was said to be holding a candle, and angels were singing.

The two women on the right are midwifes. According to an apocryphal book, Joseph had summoned them to assist his wife. one of them suffered from a paralyzed hand, but the angel in white calls her to touch the child so that she will be healed: "Tangue puerum et sanabaris".

Campin also displayed a group of shepherds, which makes this painting an Adoration of the shepherds as well.

This panel is often praised for its magnificent landscape. Campin used techniques that many others would copy: a road winding away, and the background in lighter colors that make the horizon fade into the sky. on the left, the sun rises behind the mountains, signaling renewal.

 

 

 

 

Geertgen tot Sint Jans ca. 1460/65 – ca. 1488/93

The Nativity

oil on panel (34 × 25 cm) — c. 1490

National Gallery, London

Geertgen tot Sint Jans biography

 

This work is linked to Luke 2:7

 

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The light of the newborn Christ in the manger shines on the faces of Mary and a group of angels. Joseph is to the right. Ox and ass are also present. Outside a shining angel announces the birth to a group of shepherds.

Geertgen here used the child as the main source of light. He was one of the first Western European painters to play with light and shadow in such manner. The idea of the radiating Jesus was derived from the writings of the Swedish saint Bridget, who described the light as stronger than the sun's.

This Nativity, at night, probably an altarpiece for domestic devotion, used to be larger to the right.

 

 

 

 

 

Hans Memling ca. 1433 – 1494

The Nativity

oil on panel (29 × 21 cm) — c. 1470-1472

  Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Cologne

Hans Memling biography

 

This work is linked to Luke 2:7

 

Mary prayes for her new-born son. Joseph appears to be under the impression of all the light. In the back, an ox watches the scene.

The pillar on the left refers to the pillar to which Jesus would later be tied in order to be flagellated.

In the background on the right a city gate can be seen. Joseph and Mary had to spend the night outside the city because of the buzz caused by the census the Romans had ordered.

This nice panel by Memling is considered to have been the central part of a triptych.

 

 

 

 

 

Rogier van der Weyden 1399/1400 – 1464

The Nativity

oil on panel (91 × 89 cm) — c. 1445 - 1448

  Gemäldegalerie der Staatlichen Museen, Berlin

Rogier van der Weyden biography

 

This work is linked to Luke 2:7

 

Please scroll down to read more information about this work.

 

This is the center panel of Rogier van der Weyden's Bladelin triptych. It shows Joseph and Mary kneeling and adoring their newborn son. The city in the background is Bethlehem.

The man in black to the right is Peter Bladelin, who commissioned the triptych. Out of decency he has taken of his hat. He kneels on the spot where often shepherds are depicted.

Despite of the small distance between the figures of Bladelin and the child, Bladelin is never fully part of the depiction. He sits outside the stable, and Van der Weyden took great care not to have his figure overlap Mary's. He thus remains a bystander, an outsider.