The Nativity with the Infant Baptist and Shepherds

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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The Virgin Mary prays before the newborn Christ, who radiates heavenly light. Saint Joseph holds back the infant Saint John the Baptist, who holds a cross, a symbol of Christ's destiny. It is unusual to find the infant John the Baptist included in an image of the Nativity.Two shepherds arrive on the left looking for the newborn Messiah. The lamb on the shepherd's shoulder is a gift but also acts as a symbol of Christ's identity as the 'lamb of God' who will be sacrificed for the salvation of humanity. In the background the angel appears to the shepherds in the sky to announce Christ’s birth, and the Three Kings are guided by a star to Bethlehem.This picture was probably not painted by Sodoma or his workshop but is more likely to have been by an artist copying various elements from Sodoma’s pictures.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

The Nativity with the Infant Baptist and Shepherds

Date

probably about 1540-60

Medium

Oil on poplar

Measurements

H 119.7 x W 96.5 cm

Accession number

NG4647

Acquisition method

Presented by the Widow of Ernest Hartland, 1932

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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