She brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron (Revelation 12:5)
Sandro Botticelli’s The Mystic Nativity is a patently joyous painting. From an opening in heaven, golden as the sun, a circle of twelve dancing angels links heaven and earth. These—and all the painting’s angels—wear white, green, or red, for the cardinal virtues faith, hope, and love. Between them they hold olive branches, symbols of mercy and of peace. On each branch flutters a ribbon with a Latin or Italian inscription in praise of the Virgin Mary: ‘Sanctuary beyond words’, ‘Mother of God’, ‘Virgin of Virgins’, ‘Wondrous Bride of God the Father’, ‘Virgin Mother’, ‘Hope of Sinners’, ‘Queen over All’, ‘Only Queen of the World’. From the branches hang small crowns.
In the central register, an enormous Mary kneels before the infant Jesus. Beside them sits Joseph, elderly and balding. He might almost be asleep, for he was a man, like his namesake in the Old Testament, who dreamed dreams (Matthew 1:20, 2:13). Behind the stable and a darkly mysterious wood, the Sun of Righteousness is about to rise. On each side of the Holy Family, more olive-bearing angels present visitors: the shepherds certainly, and perhaps the Magi. The olive on the left bears another banderole, ‘Behold the lamb of God’.
In the foreground register three angels and three humans embrace. Once more the angels’ ribbons speak for them: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to everyone of good will’ (Luke 2:14). Scurrying away into crevices from this wonderful scene is an assortment of tiny devils, their evil aims defeated.
‘Mercy and truth are met together’, says the psalmist; ‘righteousness and peace have kissed each other’ (Psalm 85:10). It would be hard to envision a lovelier depiction of the joy of heaven to earth come down.
So far, so good. But the scene is the Nativity. Why is this picture not nestling among the Christmas commentaries?
Well, it would be, if Botticelli himself had not written a cryptic inscription along the painting’s top. We come back to his inscription in the next commentary. For the moment we can simply relish his disclosure of joy in heaven and on earth.
12And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery. 3And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. 4His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; 5she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had borne the male child. 14But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. 16But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.
Sandro Botticelli
'Mystic Nativity', 1500, Oil on canvas, 108.6 x 74.9 cm, The National Gallery, London; Bought 1878, NG1034, © National Gallery, London / Art Resource, NY
Mercy and Truth are Met Together
Sandro Botticelli’s The Mystic Nativity is a patently joyous painting. From an opening in heaven, golden as the sun, a circle of twelve dancing angels links heaven and earth. These—and all the painting’s angels—wear white, green, or red, for the cardinal virtues faith, hope, and love. Between them they hold olive branches, symbols of mercy and of peace. On each branch flutters a ribbon with a Latin or Italian inscription in praise of the Virgin Mary: ‘Sanctuary beyond words’, ‘Mother of God’, ‘Virgin of Virgins’, ‘Wondrous Bride of God the Father’, ‘Virgin Mother’, ‘Hope of Sinners’, ‘Queen over All’, ‘Only Queen of the World’. From the branches hang small crowns.
In the central register, an enormous Mary kneels before the infant Jesus. Beside them sits Joseph, elderly and balding. He might almost be asleep, for he was a man, like his namesake in the Old Testament, who dreamed dreams (Matthew 1:20, 2:13). Behind the stable and a darkly mysterious wood, the Sun of Righteousness is about to rise. On each side of the Holy Family, more olive-bearing angels present visitors: the shepherds certainly, and perhaps the Magi. The olive on the left bears another banderole, ‘Behold the lamb of God’.
In the foreground register three angels and three humans embrace. Once more the angels’ ribbons speak for them: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to everyone of good will’ (Luke 2:14). Scurrying away into crevices from this wonderful scene is an assortment of tiny devils, their evil aims defeated.
‘Mercy and truth are met together’, says the psalmist; ‘righteousness and peace have kissed each other’ (Psalm 85:10). It would be hard to envision a lovelier depiction of the joy of heaven to earth come down.
So far, so good. But the scene is the Nativity. Why is this picture not nestling among the Christmas commentaries?
Well, it would be, if Botticelli himself had not written a cryptic inscription along the painting’s top. We come back to his inscription in the next commentary. For the moment we can simply relish his disclosure of joy in heaven and on earth.
Revelation 12:1–6, 13–17
Revised Standard Version
12And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery. 3And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. 4His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; 5she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had borne the male child. 14But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. 16But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.
More Exhibitions
Genealogies of Jesus
Matthew 1:1–17; Luke 3:23–38
The New Jerusalem and the Gates of Heaven
Revelation 21
Babylon is Fallen!
Revelation 18