Notes on The Nativity Scene

The nativity scene is a version of a small, very beautiful painting by a fifteenth century Dutch artist called Geertgen tot Sint Jans. It can be found in the National Gallery in London. The original shows shepherds on the hillside outside the stable, but on this on-line version the hills have been cleared for the arrival of the Kings. Perhaps the shepherds are already in the stable – traditionally, these poor peasant got there well before the rich kings arrived!

In the original painting by Geertgen tot Sint Jans the baby Jesus seems to glow with golden light. It is thought that Geertgen tot Sint Jans, like many artists from this period, was influenced by the visions of Saint Birgitta of Sweden, who saw the baby as the Light of the World, a heavenly star glowing in the darkness of a fallen creation. Birgitta, too, had intense visions of the suffering of Jesus on the cross. She became the national saint of Sweden and the Magnus brothers, who created the map used in this Advent Calendar, were devoted to her. Indeed, they used Birgittine convent in Rome as their base and it was there that they printed their books and maps.

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