Getty Museum
The Nativity
Creator
Willem VrelantFlemish Illuminator · 1481–1481
All works by this person →Willem Vrelant was one of the most prolific, influential, and commercially successful illuminators working in Bruges during the third quarter of the 1400s. He moved from his home in Utrecht to Bruges sometime before 1454, when he was recorded as an active member of the Bruges guild of Saint John the Evangelist, which served illuminators, scribes, parchment-makers, and others involved in the book t
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- early 1460s
- Medium
- Tempera colors, gold leaf, and ink
- Culture
- Flemish
- Department
- Manuscripts
- Institution
- Getty Museum
- Object ID
- be8b500e-e6c2-48d9-b8eb-faab920861bb
From the Getty Museum record
Mary and Joseph along with four angels gather around the tiny baby Christ, who lies on a portion of the Virgin's robe. Details such as the presence of angels and Christ lying on the ground with rays of light shining from his body come from Saint Bridget's popular account of her vision of the Nativity from the 1300s. Saint Bridget further recounted that the light surrounding the baby completely outshone the candle Joseph had brought, as depicted in the image. From above, God and the dove of the Holy Spirit bless the event. A peaceful landscape featuring castles and delicate swans in the distance completes the scene. *The Nativity* accompanies the prayers for Prime of the Hours of the Virgin.
The authoritative record is held by Getty Museum. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Get printable QR codesHide QR codes
Open QR codes for this object page and the museum record. They stay collapsed until needed.
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Getty Museum and other institutions.