The Nativity

c. 1480

Workshop of Master of the Aachen Madonna

Associated Names
German 15th Century

Artist

Master of the Aachen Madonna

Related Artist, German, active c. 1460/1480

This is a drawing of a nativity scene. The image depicts a traditional biblical nativity scene with a baby lying in a manger surrounded by a humble wooden structure resembling a stable. There is a figure kneeling beside the baby and another figure standing behind. Above the stable, two small animals are peering through an opening. A star shines in the sky, and there is an angel with green and red wings present. The use of red, green, and earthy tones, along with linear patterns, creates a quaint and sacred atmosphere.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    metalcut, hand-colored in green, red, and yellow on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 7.9 × 5.9 cm (3 1/8 × 2 5/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.763

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schreiber, no. 2195

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1965

  • Fifteenth-Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, NGA, 1965-1966, no. 329, repro.

Bibliography

1926

  • Schreiber, Wilhelm Ludwig. Handbuch de Holz- und Metailschnitte des XV Jahrhunderts. 8 vols. Leipzig: Verlag Karl W. Hierseman, 1926-1930.

1965

  • Field, Richard S. Fifteenth Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.. Exh. cat. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 1965.

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q64962965

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