The Nativity of Jesus | iconography and representations

The Nativity of Jesus is one of the most depicted episodes in Western art over the centuries.

Practically all of those who are considered to be the great artists in the history of art have created works of art alluding to the theme of the Nativity of Jesus or with references to it.

For someone born and brought up in Western culture, the representation of the Nativity is almost immediately recognisable.

But why this immediate identification?

Because, despite the differences in artistic techniques and styles, the various props and landscapes, the greater or lesser stylisation of the characters, there are symbols and iconographic elements associated with the Nativity of Jesus that we immediately identify.

Next we’ll see what these iconographic representations are and how they have been depicted throughout the history of art.

The Nativity

The Nativity depicts the birth of Jesus. We see the Holy Family represented – Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The location must be a stable (you can tell by the wooden structures and the animals, usually a donkey and a cow) or, in Byzantine art, a cave. There is a very bright star in the sky above Jesus, or above the stable or cave.

It’s worth noting that it’s only from the Baroque period onwards that Joseph begins to be included in the scene in a more direct way, so until then he’s represented somewhat separately. He is also progressively depicted as a middle-aged man, in contrast to the image of the older, grey-haired St Joseph.

Nativity Piero de la Francesca, 1470 – 1475, National Gallery