Waiting for the Virgin to Give Birth; St. Nemesius; St. Philogonius; St. Thomas

Jacques Callot

National Gallery of Art

This is a drawing of four separate scenes within oval frames, each depicting a different biblical or historical event. The first scene is an interior view of a stable with a seated figure facing an altar and a cow in the background. The second scene shows a celestial event with a central figure surrounded by clouds and two attendants holding sticks. The third scene portrays a robed figure outside a building gesturing towards a group of people engaged in discourse. The fourth scene features a figure holding a staff with a boat in the background on a cloudy day. Labels such as "Expectatio Deiparae" and "Partus Vir." are included, indicating religious or saintly themes tied to specific days in December.