Medieval & Renaissance Manuscripts

Book of Hours
France, probably Cambrai, 1490-1500
MS M.1053 fol. 61v

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Christ: Nativity -- Joseph the Carpenter, nimbed, wearing hat and hood, stands with staff in right hand and lantern in left hand, behind Virgin Mary, nimbed, wearing fillet, kneeling with joined hands raised to nude Christ Child, laying on straw before trough on floor of thatched-roof shed. Rays emanate from above through hole in roof. In doorway are ox and ass, and two men, possibly with spears, witness scene from behind low wall.
Margins with scattered naturalistic flowers, including bachelor's button and rose. Butterfly perched on rose at lower left.