Nativity
by ALTDORFER, Albrecht, Linden panel, 36 x 26 cm
Staged as a nocturne, this Nativity takes place in a stable so ruinous that an additional miracle may be found in its not having collapsed upon the Holy Family sheltering within. The stable clearly enjoyed a loftier function before housing ox, ass, and homeless family, probably first built in Bethlehem as part of the palace of David, ancestor of the Virgin.