'Mystic Nativity'
- Artist: Sandro Botticelli
- Date: 1500
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the "Mystic Nativity" by Sandro Botticelli. Painted in 1500, it's a masterpiece of Renaissance art. Christ reaches up towards the Virgin Mary, oblivious of his visitors – the Three Kings on the left and the shepherds on the right.
The golden dome of heaven has opened up and is circled by 12 angels holding olive branches entwined with scrolls and hung with crowns. In the foreground, three pairs of angels and men embrace; among their feet demons scuttle for shelter in the underworld through cracks in the rocks.
The Greek inscription mentions 'the troubles of Italy', a reference to the invasion of the French and civil strife in Florence itself. Botticelli associated these events with the turmoil mentioned in the biblical Book of Revelation, which talks about the end of the world and Christ’s second coming.
No fewer than 20 angels preside over this revelry, carrying leafy olive branches as a symbol of peace. The infant Christ reaches up towards the Virgin Mary, oblivious of his visitors. The meeting of the divine and the human in the newborn Christ is shown symbolically in the dance-like embrace of three pairs of angels and men.
This painting reflects the teachings of Girolamo Savonarola, a popular and radical preacher who was causing a stir in Florence from the 1490s. Botticelli associated these events with chapter 11 of Revelation, which describes the invasion of the Holy City by Gentiles and the devil being unleashed. Christ's return to earth would bring an end to this period of upheaval.
See it in person
'Mystic Nativity' hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
