The Nativity

c. 1490/1500

Israhel van Meckenem

Associated Names
Israhel van Meckenem

Artist, German, c. 1445 - 1503

Hans Holbein the Elder

Artist After, German, c. 1465 - 1524

This is a drawing of a nativity scene. The drawing features a central figure kneeling in prayer next to a resting baby atop a bed of hay, flanked by angels in adoration. Surrounding the central figures are animals and a figure holding a candle, with architecture depicting arches and columns in the background. The scene also includes shepherds and additional figures observing from a distance. The detailed line work and shading bring a sense of texture and depth to the piece.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 26.8 x 18.7 cm (10 9/16 x 7 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1962.5.2

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Lehrs, Vol. 9, p.060, no. 55, State only

  • Series Title

    The Life of the Virgin [Lehrs 50-61]

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(William Schab, New York); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], 1959; gift to NGA, 1964.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1967

  • Fifteenth Century Engravings of Northern Europe from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., NGA, 1967-1968, no. 221, repro.

1971

  • Christmas Print Exhibition, Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, TX, 1971-1972, no catalogue.

1999

  • Tilman Riemenschneider: Master Sculptor of the Late Middle Ages, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2000.

Bibliography

1908

  • Lehrs, Max. Geschichte und kritischer Katalog des deutschen, niederlandischen und franzosischen Kupferstichs im XV. Jahrhundert. 9 vols. and 1 plate vol. Vienna: Gesellschaft fur vervielfaltigende Kunst, 1908-1934.

1949

  • Hollstein, F.W.H. et al. German engravings, etchings and woodcuts ca. 1400-1700. 8 vols. Amsterdam: Menno Hertzberger, 1954-1868. Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts, ca. 1450-1700. Vols. I-XV, XVIII, XIX. Amsterdam: Menno Hertzberge

1967

  • Shestack, Alan. Fifteenth Century Engravings of Northern Europe from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.. Exh. cat. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 1967: no. 221.

Wikidata ID

Q65508916

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