We Wish You a Merry Christmas with Famous Nativity Paintings

Religious motifs have inspired most of Western history of art, with nativity paintings having a special place in the canon. These depictions of the birth of Jesus are based on the narratives in the Bible, mostly the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The representations of figures of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child differ. However, they are always illustrative and include many details sourced from the narratives illustrating both the Life of Christ and the Life of the Virgin.

Interestingly, the Nativity has been captured in different media spanning from murals and panel paintings over illuminated manuscripts to stained glass windows and altarpieces. This particular scene that includes Mary, Jospeh, baby Jesus, Angel Gabriel, the holy light of the star, shepherds, and the three wise men, has been represented as well in sculpture and numerous architectural features. In the 20th century, the Nativity scene became most recognizable in the form of a group of free-standing sculptures located within or outside a church, home, public place, or natural setting.

To celebrate Christmas, we have selected eight nativity paintings by the renowned artists from the Renaissance to early modern artthat encapsulate outstanding craftsmanship in depicting the mythical scene.

Geertgen tot Sint Jans, The Nativity at Night, 1490

The Nativity at Night or Night Nativity is a painting made by an Early Netherlandish painter Geertgen tot Sint Jans around 1490. This small panel painting, most probably produced for private devotional use, features the Nativity of Jesus scene, accompanied by angels, and with the Annunciation to the shepherds on the hillside seen through the window occupying the central position in the painting. Many paintings of the Nativity, such as this one, were influenced by the visions of a very popular mystic, Saint Bridget of Sweden. Geertgen tot Sint Jans’ The Nativity at Night is held at The National Gallery in London.

Jan Gossaert, The Adoration of the Kings, 1510–15

The Adoration of the Kings is a painting made by Jan Gossaert between 1510 and 1515 depicting the iconic Biblical scene. Although Gossaert’s name is signed on the canvas twice, the painting was attributed to Albrecht Dürer in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Adoration of the Kings was executed on a wooden panel consisting of six oak boards. The central position takes the Madonna and child seated in the ruins of a building while receiving a gift from the kneeling Caspar to the right. Six shepherds, a cow, and a donkey watch from behind, alongside a bearded Joseph, while shepherds and their flock are barely visible in the distance. This painting belongs to the collection of the National Gallery in London.

Lorenzo Lotto, Adoration of the Christ Child, 1523

This particular painting, Adoration of the Christ Child, was made by Lorenzo Lotto, an Italian painter, draughtsman, and illustrator. The mythical theme is executed for private devotion, and the artist signed and dated the work as if he had inscribed a plank of wood near the lower right corner. Adoration of the Christ Child belonged to Count Morlani’s private collection by the 20th century until Alessandro Contini-Bonacossi auctioned it. In 1937, the painting was acquired by Samuel H. Kress, who bequeathed it to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., two years after he bought it.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Adoration of the Kings, 1564

The outstanding Flemish Renaissance master Pieter Bruegel the Elder produced his version of The Adoration of the Kings in 1564. It belongs to a group of a few paintings Bruegel executed in a portrait format. Two other versions featuring this subject matter have survived – The Adoration of the Kings in tempera on canvas from 1556 and Adoration of The Magi in a Winter Landscape made by the artist between 1563 and 1567. This particular interpretation is an important departure from his style at the time and is the first to feature exclusively large figures. The grouping of people allowed Bruegel to highlight the differences between individual faces, giving each face a character and almost grotesque expression.

Bruegel’s The Adoration of the Kings is now in the National Gallery, London.

El Greco, Nativity, 1603-1605

El Greco’s painting Nativity, made between 1603-1605, is one of five paintings the artist produced for the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad altarpiece in Toledo. This work, alongside the other three (Charity, Coronation of the Virgin, and Annunciation), still hangs there, while the fifth, Marriage of the Virgin, is held at the National Museum of Art of Romania. It is a simplified interpretation of Adoration of the Shepherds El Greco made at the Doña María de Aragón Altarpiece, converted into a circular format.

Caravaggio, Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence, 1600

In 1609, Caravaggio made Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence. The painting features the nativity of Jesus and includes the saints Francis of Assisi and Lawrence, among other figures surrounding Mary and baby Jesus. Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence has been missing since 1969, when it was stolen from the Oratory of Saint Lawrence in Palermo. According to the investigators, it changed hands among the Sicilian Mafia. In 2015, a replica was commissioned and now hangs on the altar.

Paul Gauguin, The Birth of Christ, 1896

The pioneering figure of modern art, Paul Gauguin, is best known for his body of work made in Tahiti. Most of those paintings featuring the domestic life of the local populace were saturated with Christian symbolism. Such is the case with this particular work, The Birth of Christ, marked by the harmony of proportion, grace, and subtleness.