Away in a manger
Country Life UK|December 13 - 20, 2023 (Double Issue)
From Rembrandt's shepherds, startled by an angel's appearance, to Gauguin's mother, exhausted after giving birth to her green-haloed child, the Nativity has inspired some of our greatest artists, finds 
Michael Prodger
Away in a manger

FOR such a key moment in the Bible, it is perhaps surprising that the story of Christ's Nativity is described in only two of the Gospels. The birth does not appear in Mark and John's accounts and those of Luke and Matthew differ in numerous particulars. Luke alone includes such key details as the Annunciation to the shepherds in the fields and their Adoration around the manger, whereas it is Matthew who describes the Magi following the star and the Massacre of the Innocents.

Nevertheless, the Nativity is one of the Bible's great set-piece scenes, with every episode-the journey to Bethlehem, the stable, the Virgin birth, the gathering of shepherds, Wise Men and animals an invitation to artists. From Giotto and Bruegel to Caravaggio and Gauguin, some of the world's greatest painters have picked from its many incidents.

A compulsive artist such as Rembrandt, for example, found in the events surrounding the Nativity something to test his abilities in every emotional register, from dramatic to tender. He would return to its themes again and again, always with insight and originality. One of his greatest etchings shows the Annunciation to the Shepherds (1634) as a moment of not only revelation, but terror. It is a large print, in which the angel emerges from a cloud lit by a glowing orb surrounded by a swirl of cherubim. Their appearance is so unexpected and so startling-literally otherworldly that it has the effect of an explosion, sending men, cattle and goats stampeding in abject fright. A moment before, they were peacefully watching their flocks by night, all seated on the ground; now, they are either fleeing or poleaxed. It is, of course, a more likely interpretation of the episode than the more traditional one, where the rustics simply look at the apparition in mild surprise and take in the message.

Esta historia es de la edición December 13 - 20, 2023 (Double Issue) de Country Life UK.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición December 13 - 20, 2023 (Double Issue) de Country Life UK.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE COUNTRY LIFE UKVer todo
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
Country Life UK

Kitchen garden cook - Apples

'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'

time-read
2 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
The original Mr Rochester
Country Life UK

The original Mr Rochester

Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre

time-read
5 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
Get it write
Country Life UK

Get it write

Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution

time-read
6 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
'Sloes hath ben my food'
Country Life UK

'Sloes hath ben my food'

A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright

time-read
3 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
Souvenirs of greatness
Country Life UK

Souvenirs of greatness

FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.

time-read
3 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
Plants for plants' sake
Country Life UK

Plants for plants' sake

The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson

time-read
7 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
Capturing the castle
Country Life UK

Capturing the castle

Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker

time-read
6 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
Nature's own cathedral
Country Life UK

Nature's own cathedral

Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods

time-read
5 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
All that money could buy
Country Life UK

All that money could buy

A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages

time-read
8 minutos  |
October 23, 2024
In with the old
Country Life UK

In with the old

Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery

time-read
5 minutos  |
October 23, 2024