Geboorte van Christus 1455 - 1503

Israhel van Meckenem created this engraving of the birth of Christ during the late fifteenth century, a time of religious fervor and burgeoning print culture in Europe. Note the space Meckenem creates: an interior scene complete with an ox, angels, and shepherds. The Virgin Mary is at the center, kneeling in prayer while bathed in divine light. Her purity and humility, emphasized by her downcast gaze, are central to the theological understanding of the Nativity. Joseph, often a marginal figure, is placed beside her, holding a candle. The detail suggests Meckenem’s interest in portraying the humanity of this holy event. Consider how the artist uses the relatively new medium of engraving to spread religious narratives. In whose hands would this image have ended up? What kind of emotional response might it have elicited in viewers of the time? This print both reflects and shapes the religious and social values of its time, inviting viewers to contemplate the divine made human.