A Renaissance Christmas

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Dec 24, 2021

Tis the season of angels, heavenly music, and nativity scenes!

Christian or not, we all know the Christmas Story, its characters and incidents … but many of us don’t realize that it is, in fact, an amalgamation of only two of the four Gospels which have been cobbled together.

Matthew tells of a nativity full of pageantry and procession with the arrival of the Three Magi — scholars, wise men from far, far away, with their finest gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to pay homage to a newborn King; while Luke shares a story of humble simplicity — of a babe born in a rustic manger surrounded by animals, and of local shepherds who come to adore him.  Both gospels prominently feature angels in important roles as messengers who announce the arrival of the baby Jesus.

All of this has resulted in the creation of many a Renaissance masterpiece.  Please enjoy this holiday slideshow featuring some of my favorite paintings, by Italian Renaissance masters … naturally.  Photos features were either taken by me or sourced from Wiki-Commons and are in the public domain.

Wishing you all Buon Natale and Buon Capodanno as we all look forward to a brighter and more joyous 2021.

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