Nativity

The Nativity is Burne-Jones’s finished study for a stained glass window that was designed for St. Philip’s Cathedral in Birmingham, the artist’s hometown. The composition is divided in two by the cave surrounding the Holy Family, which separates them from the angels and shepherds above. The nearly monochromatic palette of this study, rendered in deep blues and greens, enhances the contemplative mood of the subject. Gold paint, signifying holy light, adds to the mysticism of the scene (2022).