Nativity of Christ [detail: crib scene] details

This engraved drawing of the Nativity, that is, of the birth of Jesus Christ, appears beneath the atrological star chart for Jesus. The nativity scene shows Mary and Joseph, with the new-born baby boy naked in Mary’s lap. Three “wise man” are offering gifts, one kneeling, one sitting and one prostrating himself. The famous star is shining a beam of light onto the boy. There is straw on the floor, and a barred window, but the wall is open, presumably as an artistic device, and outside is a tree, and some buildings in the distanct. The artist appears to have been unaware that the scene was supposed to have taken place in Palestine, in the city of Bethlehem, and not in the country-side, although palm trees in the background are a nod to the climate.

A caption below the engraving reads as follows: