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The Birth of Christ [verso]

German 16th Century

1600

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Baroque Baroque Religious

Dominant colour

The Birth of Christ [verso] is a 1600 ink by German 16th Century, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: German 16th Century
When & what style?: 1600 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This image shows a busy scene with a group of people gathered around a stable. A woman in a headscarf stands on the right, pointing toward a lying figure wrapped in cloth. Above them, angels float near a bright, glowing area, while a man in the background holds a lantern. The figures are drawn with sharp lines and shading, giving them a textured look. Notice how the artist used layers of lines to create shadows and depth. This technique makes the figures look three-dimensional. Look up cross-hatching to see how artists build up dark tones like this.