Nativity n.d.

François Boitard created this drawing of the Nativity using pen and brown ink with gray wash sometime between the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The sketch depicts the birth of Jesus in a stable setting. The Virgin Mary and Joseph are central, surrounded by shepherds, angels, and animals. This imagery was standard for the time, drawing on centuries of established visual tradition sanctioned by the Catholic Church. Boitard was French and the prevalence of such pieces speaks to the enduring influence of the church on the politics and society of the period. Art schools and academies played a key role in training artists like Boitard to produce works that reinforced religious and political orthodoxies. However, the sketch-like quality here might suggest a more private, devotional function, or perhaps a preparatory study for a larger, more public work. Further research into Boitard’s patrons and the original context of this drawing could reveal more about its intended audience and social function. The meaning of art, we must remember, is always contingent on its specific historical and institutional circumstances.