3-042-367 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Nativity with the Adoration of the Shepherds and Magi; Leaf from a Gospel Book; Leaf from Ms. Ludwig II 7, 1615. Additional Info: This illuminated leaf shows a painting of the Nativity of Christ. Three separate episodes connected to the story are set within a frame of colorful interlacing designs. As a trio of angels beholds the scene from the upper right, the heavens emit a ray of blue light toward the Christ child, who is held by the reclining Virgin Mary. Joseph rests his hand on his face next to a shepherd, who plays a flute for two small animals, while the ox and ass watch from above. At the right, the three magi offer their gifts. The painting’s dynamic shapes and vibrant colors form an interlocking composition of unusually great energy and vitality. The leaf was once part of the illustrated prefatory cycle of a Gospel book that was made in 1615 in Isfahan, Persia, and illustrated by the famous Armenian artist, Mesrop of Khizan.