The Nativity

Gallery 392, European Art 1500-1850, third floor (Haas Gallery)

Main Building

The Nativity

1799 or 1800

William Blake (English, 1757–1827)

Everything in this small painting emphasizes the miraculous nature of the birth of Jesus. Joseph supports a swooning Mary, while Jesus springs forth from her womb and hovers above the manger. He is received by Mary's cousin, Saint Elizabeth, whose own child, John the Baptist, rests in her lap. A cross glows in the window as if reflected in the light of the star of Bethlehem. The infant Jesus' outstretched arms prefigure his Crucifixion. This painting is one of a series of biblical illustrations that Blake made for Thomas Butts, a clerk in the War Office Department of Mustering and an important supporter of Blake's art.

Gallery 392, European Art 1500-1850, third floor (Haas Gallery)

Object Details

Title:

The Nativity

Date:

1799 or 1800

Artist:

William Blake (English, 1757–1827)

Medium:

Tempera on copper

Dimensions:

10 3/4 x 15 1/16 inches (27.3 x 38.3 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

Gift of Mrs. William Thomas Tonner, 1964

Accession Number:

1964-110-1

Geography:

Made in England, Europe

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Gallery 392, European Art 1500-1850, third floor (Haas Gallery)

Main Building

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