The Nativity (copy) 1490 - 1534

Marcantonio Raimondi created this engraving, The Nativity, sometime between 1505 and 1511. He lived and worked in a time when the Catholic Church and its imagery were central to European life. Raimondi was an incredibly skilled printmaker known for his reproductions of other artists’ work. As such, it's impossible to know if the artist had a deep, personal connection to the scene of the nativity, or if this was merely a commission he fulfilled. Note how the two kneeling figures have swords at their sides, they are not humble shepherds, but rather armed men. The image depicts a divine moment filtered through a lens of power, a visual statement of who has access to the sacred. By focusing on the performative aspects of devotion, Raimondi invites us to reflect on the power dynamics inherent in religious representation. The print thus becomes a mirror reflecting the complex interplay between faith, power, and artistic expression in the Renaissance era.