1-155-877 - Art Media/Heritage Images

'The Nativity', 1470-1475. The Virgin in a blue robe kneels before the infant Jesus lying on the corner of her cloak. St Joseph sits on a saddle and listens to the shepherds. A single magpie, possibly an omen of sorrow, perches on the roof of the stable housing the ox and the ass, while singers and musicians serenade the child. From the collection of the National Gallery, London.