Nativity, The

Name/Title

Nativity, The

Entry/Object ID

2005.02.089

Description

Tempera on curved wooden panel with gold leaf halos and background bordered in red, teal, and mustard yellow. A red Cyrillic caption sits at the bottom in the middle. At the top, a blue ring of clouds encases eight angels. Below, a red building on the left and a blue building on the right showcase five different scenes from the nativity story. In the center, Mary is shown in a cave with the Christ child wrapped in white tied with red string with a bull and a horse. Mary and Christ child are greeted by the wise men and shepherds on the bottom left and right respectively. In the upper right she rides a white horse led by Joseph.

Type of Painting

Panel

Artwork Details

Medium

Tempera

Collection

Betsy Scheuring Icon Collection

Acquisition

Accession

2005.02

Source or Donor

Betsy Scheuring

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

Gift of Betsy Scheuring

Made/Created

Date made

1850 - 1900

Place

* Untyped Place

Central Russia

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Icon

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Symbol, Religious

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Religious Objects

Nomenclature Class

Ceremonial Objects

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Dimensions

Height

17-1/2 in

Width

14 in

Depth

1-1/2 in

Exhibition

Spirit Made Tangible: The Scheuring Icon Collection (2006)

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

This icon depicts many scenes traditionally associated with the birth of Christ and related events. The Virgin is shown at center in a cave with the Christ child in a manger. Above them in the sky is a host of angels announcing the birth to a group of shepherds. To the right of the shepherds are the Three Magi following the Star of Bethlehem, which appears as a Star of David in the sky. In the upper left of the icon is a scene of the Dream of Joseph with an angel telling him to return to Mary, whom he left before learning that she was pregnant. Below this is the Adoration of the Magi, and at the bottom right is the Adoration of the Shepherds. Finally, in the upper right of the panel can be seen the Flight into Egypt.