The Nativity

A plump infant Christ lies in the crescent-shaped fold of his mother’s mantle, supported by a wingless angel. The Virgin holds her hands in prayer, her body invisible beneath the sweeping curves of her cloak. The separation of the figures and the contrast between their bodies eloquently express the central idea behind a mystical vision of Saint Bridget of Sweden that circulated in southern Germany in the late Middle Ages; in it, Mary describes Christ’s birth as painless and sinless — a miraculous appearance. The sculpture is carved neither fully in the round nor fully in relief: the Virgin’s hands are naturalistic, yet her back is unfinished, her hair carved just enough to enable a three-quarter view. This play with dimensionality, made possible by the soft linden wood, underscores this mystical interpretation of the Nativity. Its shallow depth and unfinished back also suggest that it may have been placed in a chapel, where it was intended for personal contemplation.