The Nativity 1570 - 1631

This engraving of The Nativity was crafted by Jacob Matham around the turn of the 17th century. Note the tender gathering of angels above the scene. The cherubic figures, emerging from the clouds, direct our gaze down to the newborn Christ. Angels, as divine messengers, transcend time. They appear in ancient Mesopotamian reliefs as winged genii, and in countless Renaissance paintings. Here, they act as intermediaries between the earthly and divine, a role echoed across cultures. Consider how similar winged figures appear in Persian art, where they symbolize protection and guidance, a visual language that speaks to the subconscious longing for celestial intervention. The gentle expression on Mary’s face, mirrored across epochs in depictions of motherhood from antiquity to modern times, stirs within us a primal resonance with care and nurturing. These echoes from the past remind us that human experience is eternally interwoven.