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Konrad von Soest, Nativity, 1403, Saint Nikolaus parish church, Bad Wildungen. Detail.
Let’s forget the traditional Nativity scene that we all know for a moment: Virgin Mary kneeling before baby Christ, Joseph standing right behind her, angels surrounding them, ox watching after the baby. I want to present to you the forgotten medieval iconography of the Nativity scene. I promise it will blow your mind! So ladies and (most importantly) gentlemen – let’s have a look at the Holy Family and follow the example of Saint Joseph.
This might come as a shock to you but in old medieval artworks (dating back to the 13th century) we can witness Saint Joseph taking an active role in the Nativity. Later on, this motif will be forgotten in iconography and we will slowly observe that the old man is sitting passively and turning away from the scene (just like in the Proto-Renaissance fresco painted by Giotto).
Giotto di Bondone, Nativity: Birth of Christ, 1303, Cappella Scrovegni, Padua, Italy.
Joseph takes care of Infant Christ while Mary is taking a nap.
The Virgin Mary needs a rest, that’s obvious! So who will take care of the baby? Joseph, it is.
AdVertisment
Nativity, miniature from a Latin manuscript of the Abbey of Notre-Dame des Pres (f.23), 13th century, Bibliotheque Municipale De Valenciennes, Valenciennes, France.
Nativity, miniature from French Book of Hours, c. 1400. Twitter.
Nativity
The Nativity presented in this decorated initial is not a very popular representation of this motif.
Mary is laying in the conventional pose which indicates that she’s asleep, contrastingly Saint Joseph is the active person in this scene – he’s reaching out with his hands for the baby to cuddle.
Nativity
This French miniature shows exactly the same moment of Joseph reaching out with his hands for baby Christ while Mary is taking a nap.
It’s dinner time! Joseph blows up the fire and prepares a meal while Mary is resting (or nursing).
Was Joseph a good cook? I guess that we will never know, but he seems to be very dedicated to cooking porridge.
AdVertisment
Konrad von Soest, Nativity, 1403, Saint Nikolaus parish church, Bad Wildungen, Germany.
Workshop of the Bedford Master, The Holy Family, miniature from Book of Hours, c. 1440–1450, MS. Ludwig IX 6 (83.ML.102), f. 181, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Nativity, between 1405 and 1414, Catharijneconvent, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Nativity, miniature from Flemish Book of Hours, 15th century, Oxford University College MS 5, Oxford, UK.
Nativity
The Nativity scene is a panel from a Wildung Polyptych created in the International Gothic style.
Medieval altarpieces were often executed in a form of polyptychs that covered scenes from the life of Christ; from birth until his death.
The Holy Family
The motif of Joseph preparing a meal for his family was also repeatedly represented in miniatures.
The nursing Virgin is accompanied by a midwife – another motif that will be forgotten in the later representations of the Nativity.
Nativity
Anonymous master from the Middle Rhine Altarpiece (on view in St. Catherine’s Convent Museum in Utrecht) also presented the Nativity as an intimate genre scene.
Nativity
This Flemish miniature is yet another example of Joseph taking an active role in the Nativity.
The old man is sitting in the corner and cooking while Mary is resting in bed.
Once the Virgin Mary is rested and fed, it’s time for the daily Bible reading!
Mary needs some time for herself, so once again, the caring Joseph steps in. Although in the second image from another Book of Hours, the donkey seems to be a better source of amusement for Jesus than Saint Joseph…
AdVertisment
The Nativity, from Besançon Book of Hours, 15th century, Fitzwilliam MS 69, f. 48r, The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK.
Nativity with Ox and Ass, from a French Book of Hours, 1400–1425: Harley MS 2952, f. 142v, The British Library, London, UK.
The Nativity
The miniature from the Fitzwilliam Museum shows us a captivating fact about Mary – she was an educated woman.
Here we can observe her reading the Bible – such depiction in the Book of Hours served as an example to cultivate devotional reading.
Nativity with Ox and Ass
Ox and Ass are frequently depicted animals in the Nativity scenes. Some scholars have suggested that the animals are keeping the infant Christ warm.
Joseph prepares a bath.
In this high gothic altarpiece, we can see another fascinating scene from the Nativity; Saint Joseph is helping midwife Salome to prepare a bath for baby Jesus.
The motif of the holy child’s first bath is derived from Byzantine iconography of Nativity and it became a part of Western iconography in the 14th century.
Master of Vyšší Brod, Nativity, 1345–1350, National Gallery in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.
Time to make some DIY swaddling clothes for baby Jesus.
Everyone knows that a good swaddle is an absolute must-have! People in the Middle Ages knew that too; according to the antique tradition, it was believed that the baby needed to be swaddled tightly in order not to develop deformed limbs.
The Holy Family couldn’t afford swaddling robes, so here we see Saint Joseph taking off his shoes and offering his stockings (or hosen) as swaddle clothes.
AdVertisment
Joseph Malouel (attributed), Nativity, c. 1400, Museum Mayer van den Bergh, Antwerp, Belgium.
French School, Nativity, fragment of the rood-screen, 13th century, Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France.
Nativity
In this gothic panel (fragment of a large altarpiece) we can see Saint Joseph sitting humbly on the ground barefoot and taking off his stockings to cover up the naked Christ.
In the Middle Ages, Jesus’ swaddling clothes were an important relic kept in the Aachen cathedral.
Nativity
This fragment of destroyed rood-screen from the Chartres cathedral represents the moment of Joseph offering Mary his stockings as swaddle clothes for the baby.
Baby Jesus needs a snack? Fear not, Saint Joseph’s got you covered!
I absolutely adore this painting. The handy carpenter is giving Jesus pears, while Mary is resting in bed and eating (maybe a famous porridge made by Joseph?)
You wonder; how’s it possible that a newborn walks? It’s a holy child.
BTW. Did you notice the Byzantine motif of the child’s first bath mentioned earlier?
The Holy Family in the stable with angels, c. 1400, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, Germany.
Medieval art is full of surprises! I hope that you’ve enjoyed this selection of slightly forgotten iconography of the Nativity.
May humble and caring Joseph be your inspiration this Christmas season!
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Art historian and proud member of the DailyArt team! Her main interest in AH is art theory and Italian Renaissance.
Adam Robinson
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