Episodes from the Life of Christ: Nativity with an Inscription

Northern Italian 18th or 19th Century

National Gallery of Art

This round image depicts a scene with three main human figures and several animals. In the center of the composition is a child, fully shown, lying in a manger. To the left of the child is a bearded man standing, shown from the shoulders up, holding a staff. To the right, a woman with long hair is shown similarly from the shoulders up, with her hands pressed together prayerfully. Both figures have halos over their heads. Above the child and the two adults is an angel, also with a halo, holding a banner that reads "GLORIA IN EXELSIS DEO." Flanking the manger, there is a depiction of two animals, likely an ox and a donkey, with their heads closely positioned near the child. The background features a simple stable structure with wooden beams and thatched roofing. The entire scene is rendered in a monochromatic style with cross-hatching details that give it texture, set on a circular dark background.