Casting into the Net: Nativity in Art Part 3

The Nativity in Art

Early Christianity

The first record we have of the celebration of Christmas dates from 354 and the earliest pictorial representations of Jesus' Nativity come from sarcophagi in Rome and Southern Gaul of around this date.

4th century sarcophagus, Milan; one of the earliest Nativity images

The earliest representations of the Nativity itself are very simple, just showing the infant, tightly wrapped, lying near the ground in a trough or wicker basket. The ox and ass are always present, even when Mary or any other human is not. They were regarded by Augustine, Ambrose and others as representing the Jewish people, weighed down by the Law (the ox), and the pagan peoples, carrying the sin of idolatry (the ass). Christ arrived to free both from their burdens. Mary is only shown when the scene is the Adoration of the Magi, but often one of the shepherds, or a prophet with a scroll, is present. From the end of the fifth century (following the Council of Ephesus), Mary becomes a fixture in the scene; then as later Joseph is a more variable element. Where a building is shown, it is usually a simple tiled roof supported by posts.

The first scenes of the Adoration of the Magi, which appear in the catacombs of Rome where Early Christians buried their dead, often decorated the walls of the underground passages and vaults with paintings. Many of these predate the legalization of Christian worship by the Emperor Constantine in the early 4th century. Typically the Magi move in step together, holding their gifts in front of them, towards a seated Virgin with Christ on her lap. They closely resemble the motif of tribute-bearers which is common in the art of most Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern cultures.