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Nativity
Set against the silhouette of a mountain, the Virgin rests beside the manger with the swaddled Christ Child. Three angels emerge from behind the mountain, one of whom announces the birth of Christ to the standing shepherd on the right. In the foreground, the infant receives his first bath while the seated Joseph watches the scene. The motif of Christ receiving his first bath is characteristic of Byzantine images of the Nativity and rarely appears in western European art.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Count Girolamo Possenti, Fabriano, before 1876, by purchase; Sale, Florence, April 1, 1880, no. 24; Count Gregoire Stroganoff (Grigorii Sergeevich Stroganov), Rome, before 1900, by purchase, his cat. 115.2; Henri Daguerre, Paris, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1930, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1947 | Early Christian and Byzantine Art. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Turkey, Istanbul (Constantinople) (Place of Origin)
Measurements
5 5/16 x 4 13/16 x 3/8 in. (13.5 x 12.3 x 1 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1930
Location in Museum
Centre Street: Third Floor: Byzantine, Russian, and Ethiopian Icons
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
71.305