The Nativity, ca. 1500 – 1520

Title

The Nativity

Painter

• Master BM

Period Produced

• 15th century

School

• Renaissance

Object Type

• painting (artwork)

Physical Description

Mixed media on oak wood, reverse original, beveled on all sides

Material

• oak wood

Technique

• mixed technique

Label at the Time of Manufacture

Unbezeichnet

Institution

• Städel Museum

Departement

• Old Masters 1300 - 1800

Collection

• Städtische Galerie

Creditline

Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

Picture Copyright

Public Domain

Acquisition

Acquired in 1928

Genre

• Biblical portrayal
• literary representation
• historical narration
• depiction of a saint

Main Motif

• worship
• Life of the Virgin
• Mary
• Christ Child
• Joseph of Nazareth
• Holy Family
• family
• Salome (Midwife)
• Zelomi
• Bethlehem
• woman
• child
• man
• group of people
• animal

Persons Shown

• Mary
• Christ Child
• Joseph of Nazareth
• Holy Family
• Salome (Midwife)
• Zelomi

Illustrated Passage

• Bibel, Neues Testament, Lukas 2,16-19
• Apokryphen, Pseudo-Matthäusevangelium, 13,3
• Die Legenda aurea des Jacobus de Voragine, übersetzt von Richard Benz, Heidelberg 1984, S. 49

Primary

• 73B13(+3) Mary, Joseph and the new-born Christ (Nativity) (+ angel(s))
• 73B281 the ox and the ass at the manger ~ Christ's birth

Secondary

• 23F41 winter landscape; landscape symbolizing winter (the four seasons of the year)
• 25H112 rocks

Associative

• 73B27 the midwives adoring the Christ-child, Mary and Joseph may be present