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.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM COUNTRY LIFE UKView all
Tales as old as time
Country Life UK

Tales as old as time

By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth

time-read
2 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Do the active farmer test
Country Life UK

Do the active farmer test

Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Country Life UK

Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin

Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts

time-read
2 mins  |
November 13, 2024
SOS: save our wild salmon
Country Life UK

SOS: save our wild salmon

Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Into the deep
Country Life UK

Into the deep

Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel

time-read
4 mins  |
November 13, 2024
It's alive!
Country Life UK

It's alive!

Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters

time-read
4 mins  |
November 13, 2024
There's orange gold in them thar fields
Country Life UK

There's orange gold in them thar fields

A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024
True blues
Country Life UK

True blues

I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Oh so hip
Country Life UK

Oh so hip

Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland

time-read
4 mins  |
November 13, 2024
A best kept secret
Country Life UK

A best kept secret

Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024