The Nativity

1552

Heinrich Aldegrever

Associated Names
Heinrich Aldegrever

Artist, German, 1502 - 1555/1561

This drawing shows a group of people sitting, kneeling, and standing, looking towards a child in the center. The central child appears to be an infant lying on a cloth over a layer of hay or fibers. Behind the infant are three larger children who all have wings. One of these cherubic children holds the infant's arm. On the right, a woman kneels down by the children, her arms crossed over her chest. She is wrapped in draped clothing with a hood over her hair. Standing behind her is a man with a balding head and a beard, who looks down with one hand on his chest. On the left are two more men who hold long trumpets, one kneeling and one standing, both dressed in hooded tunics. In the background, a semi-ruined stable or shelter is depicted, with damaged wooden walls and a thatched roof. A cow and a donkey are visible behind the central children, looking out of the stable. Above, there are four more cherubic figures appearing to float in the sky above the surrounding buildings and arches. Near the top right corner, a star is visible shining brightly in the sky.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and black ink with gray wash

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 10.8 x 6.9 cm (4 1/4 x 2 11/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1964.8.1755


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

LJR (Lugt Supp.1760b). Lessing J. Rosenwald; gift 1964 to the National Gallery of Art.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1982

  • Lessing J. Rosenwald: Tribute to a Collector, NGA, 1982, no. 78, repro.

Bibliography

1970

  • Shestack, Alan. "Some Preliminary Drawings for Engravings by Heinrich Aldegrever." Modern Drawings 8, no. 2 (Summer 1970): 145, 148 nt. 20, fig. 34a.

1982

  • Fine, Ruth E. Lessing J. Rosenwald: Tribute to a Collector. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1982, no. 78.

  • Kaufmann 1982, 9.

1985

  • Kaufmann, Thomas Dacosta. "A Census of Drawings from the Holy Roman Empire, 1540-1680, in North American Collections" Central European History xviii, 1 (1985):4-13, 70-74, 75.

Inscriptions

lower center in black ink: (monogram "AG" below date "1552" in tablet in reverse)

Wikidata ID

Q64573398

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