"Mystical Christmas" Botticelli often decorates Christmas cards and calendars. This beautiful depiction of the Nativity accompanied by the flight of angels looks like the epitome of Renaissance religious work. What the postcards don't tell us is that this painting was created during a very dark time in the history of Florence, and even in the history of Western art. Hidden behind the theme of deliverance and triumph depicted in this work is religious fervor and persecution, driven by horror - which led to the irreparable loss of the cultural heritage of Florence. As a result, the works left to us are only a fraction, an incomplete record of what was created in times before the 1490s.
Botticelli uses dramatic images of the Last Judgment and an inscription about the Apocalypse to send a message
"Mystical Nativity" is often described as a "double" picture - it combines the traditional theme of Christmas with the theme of the Last Judgment. Far below the whirlwind of angels, demonic figures can be seen - not at all a traditional part of the nativity scene. By adding these elements of the Last Judgment, Botticelli sought not only to show the appearance of Christ into the world, but also his subsequent return, described in the Book of Revelation.
"Mystical Christmas" is more than a picture of a child in a manger.
Botticelli did not limit himself to only symbolic messages - at the top of the "Mystical Nativity" he placed an inscription with the following disturbing words:
This painting was painted by Alessandro, at the end of 1500, during the unrest in Italy. In the midst of those times that came after the execution of the eleventh chapter of St. John, in the second revelation of the Apocalypse.
Here we must stop to understand what psychological state Botticelli was in. These are definitely not the words of the man who wrote The Birth of Venus or the playful Venus and Mars. Although these pagan paintings also have a Christian religious connotation, it is not so strongly expressed.
From a drunken satire clutching a hallucinogenic fruit to the apocalypse, Botticelli's changing mental state is a wonderful illustration
The question must be asked - what happened to Botticelli in the 1490s? The answer is simple - a Dominican monk, Girolamo Savonarola.
The miraculous angels circling under the heavens are superbly executed in The Mystic Nativity. Over time, the inscriptions on the ribbons they hold have faded - hiding a direct link between the painting and Savonarola's teachings. An observant researcher named Rab Hatfield (Syracuse University of Florence) looked at the woodcuts depicting Savonarola's sermons in a book that has been preserved in the library. He drew attention to the crown, describing the 12 mystical properties of the Virgin Mary.
Illustration for Savonarola's sermon
Subsequent infrared analysis of the angel ribbons revealed the inscriptions - they exactly matched the 12 mystical properties from Savonarola's sermon. Thus, the "Mystical Nativity" is not just a religious work - it is a declaration of Botticelli's commitment to Savonarola and his teachings.
As you know, the last part of the creative path of Botticelli passed in obscurity and disgrace. It can be assumed that he never fully recovered from the turmoil of the 1490s, turning from a draftsman of satyrs and goddesses into a man tormented by spiritual shock. Since we do not have Botticelli's letters of that time, we can only speculate what was going on in his soul. What can be said with certainty - the radiant energy of the artist's youth, striking when looking at the "Adoration of the Magi", left him.
Pre-savonarol Botticelli trustingly looks at the world at the "Adoration of the Magi" (1475-6)
It is interesting to note that Savonarola rose to prominence through political machinations rather than through charity and good deeds. As so often in history, desperate times bring desperate people to power - in Florence, in the mid-1490s, there was just such a time.
To continue the story, we need to consider 3 important aspects that influenced the social dynamics of Florence at that time. The combination of these factors gave weight to Savonarola's prophetic sermons, with warnings of invasion and plague. These are the factors:
1. French attack in 1494
2. The spread of syphilis (which was also associated with France!)
3. The impending "End of Days" - from the Book of Revelation, "in the midst of those times", which was supposed to come in the 1500s. In the minds of many God-fearing Florentines, the end of the world was just around the corner.
In such an atmosphere of horror, it's not all that surprising that someone like Savonarola would gain such influence.
The main goal of the French army in 1494. there was the capture of Naples, but they also wanted to destroy the dominance of the Medici in trade in Tuscany. In keeping with the adage "the enemy of my enemy is my friend", they had a common goal with Savonarola - who opposed the Medici from the pulpit. After an unauthorized attempt by Piero Medici (nicknamed the Stupid) to guarantee benefits to the French, without the approval of the Florentine government, the Medici were soon expelled from Florence, at the end of 1494.
Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola
Natività mistica) is one of the last paintings by the Florentine artist Sandro Botticelli, created in a period marked in his work by the breakdown of Quattrocento optimism, the growth of religiosity and an acutely tragic perception of the world.The canvas was practically unknown until the Englishman Otley saw it at Aldobrandini's villa and acquired it. Botticelli was "rediscovered" by art critics with the beginning of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, it was then that John Ruskin gave the canvas its current name. In 1878, the London National Gallery purchased the painting for £1,500. At the top of the canvas, a Greek inscription has been preserved, which reads:
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It is extremely difficult to give any interpretation of this text with apocalyptic allusions. It is obvious that the work belongs to Botticelli, as it is signed ( Alessandro, Sandro- a derivative of Alexander) and dated 1501 (the Florentine year ended on March 24, and the artist mentions the end of 1500). In addition, the author mentions political unrest in Italy, that is, the picture was painted during the political and military unrest that shook the artist's native Tuscany after the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent.
The “Apocalypse” of John is mentioned, most likely, in connection with the end of the long trials (the beginning of which the researchers of Botticelli’s work attribute to the moment of the burning of Fra Girolamo Savonarola or with the cruel military campaigns of Cesare Borgia), when evil will be defeated.
In the composition of The Mystical Nativity, the artist relied both on sacred ideas and on the sermons of Savonarolla. This is evidenced by the illustration of one of the collections of sermons by Fra Girolamo (1496, Florence, National Library). The iconography of the painting, as well as the intonation of the inscription, are marked by the influence of mysticism and the severity of the preacher's teaching.
About the speeches of Savonarola, in particular about his Christmas sermon, delivered under the Florentine year 1494, where he called on the inhabitants of Florence to turn the city into a new Nazareth, they are reminded of the figures who came to bow to the baby in clothes modern to the artist, pacified by a saving embrace with angels; meanwhile, the demons at the bottom of the picture rush to hide in the cracks that have opened in the ground.
On the roof of the hut are three angels dressed in white, red and green. These colors represent Grace, Truth and Justice, often featured in Savonarola's speeches. The scene is dominated by the theme of peace and tranquility, emphasized by the symbolism of the olive wreaths and branches that accompany the characters. The olive branches are also held in the hands of angels circling over the hut - a plot borrowed from the decoration of churches practiced since the time of Brunelleschi for sacred performances.
The Greek inscription at the top translates as: "This painting, at the end of the year 1500, in the problems of Italy, I am Alessandro, in the break after the time, painted, according to the eleventh [chapter] of St. John, in the second mount of the Apocalypse, during the release of the devil for three and a half years; then he shall be bound in the twelfth [chapter], and we shall see [him buried] as in this picture." Botticelli believed himself to have lived during the Tribulation, possibly due to upheavals in Europe at the time, and predicted the Millennium of Christ, as stated in the biblical text.
It has been suggested that the painting could be related to the influence of Savonarola, whose influence appears in many of Botticelli's last paintings, although the content of the image may have been determined by the person commissioning it. The painting uses the medieval convention of showing the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus larger and larger than other figures and than their medium; this was of course done deliberately for effect, as the earlier use of Botticellis corrects graphical perspective.
Historical context and puzzling aspects
Mystical Christmas depicts a scene of joy and celebration, earthly and heavenly delight, with angels dancing at the top of the painting. At the top of the painting is the name of Sandro Botticelli - but also apocalyptic and disturbing words. And there are dark warnings - a helpless child resting on a leaf that evokes the shroud in which his body will one day be wrapped, while the cave in which the stage is set resembles his tomb. The kings on the abandoned bear are no gifts but their own devotion. At the top of the painting, twelve angels are dressed in the colors of faith, hope, and charity dancing in a circle holding olive branches, and above them, the heavens open in a large golden dome, while at the bottom of the painting, three angels embrace three men, appearing to lift them from the earth. They hold scrolls that proclaim in Latin, "peace on earth to the men of benevolence." Behind them, seven devils flee the underworld, some impaled on their own weapons. In the Renaissance, the Doomsday paintings of the times showed viewers an account of the damned and the saved at the Second Coming of Christ. In repeating this kind of painting, the Mystic Nativity asks us to think not only of the birth of Christ, but also of his return..” (Jonathan Nelson, Syracuse University in Florence).
Painting emerged from the city of Florence at a time when the fanatical preacher Savonarola held the city in his power. He arrived in Florence in 1490, but was repulsed by the artistic fame and great wealth that so impressed the world. He preached that it was corrupt and a vice ridden place. The great scourge drew near—and then his words took on a horrific reality: the Italian War of 1494-1498. In 1494 a huge French army invaded Italy and the troops entered Florence so that the Florentines feared that the King of France wanted to sack the city. Savonarola stepped into a political vacuum, he met with the French king and persuaded him to leave Florence peacefully. In their gratitude and relief, the Florentines increasingly viewed the monk as a prophet and his preaching attracted huge crowds to the Florence Cathedral. Savonarola argued that Florence could become the New Jerusalem if the citizens repented and forsook their sinful luxury - and that included much of their art. His beliefs were made real, while groups of evangelical youths continued into the streets to encourage people to part with their luxuries, their obscene pictures, and their books, their vanities, their combs, their mirrors. Botticelli may have seen his own paintings fueled by fire. Yet the artist may not have objected because, like much of the city, he also came under the influence of Savonarola. It seems that the sermon preached by Savonarola has directly on the Mystic Christmas.
In one sermon Savonarola was preaching, he formulated a vision that came to him in which he saw an extraordinary heavenly crown. At its base were twelve hearts with twelve ribbons wrapped around them, and written on them in Latin were the unique mystical qualities or privileges of the Virgin Mary - she is "her father's mother", "her son's daughter", "God's bride", etc. d. Although much of the writing on the ribbons held by the dancing angels is now invisible to the naked eye, infrared reflectography has shown that the original words on the angels' ribbons correspond exactly to the 12 Virgo Savonarola privileges. In his sermon preached on the Day of Assumption, Savonarola continued to explore the 11th and 12th chapters of the Book of Revelation - the exact chapters mentioned in the painting's inscription. He combined the glory of Mary with the inevitable exit from the power of Christ on earth.
Savonarola held Florence in his hand for years, but his hardline charismatic rule made him a powerful political enemy. He was challenged to prove his holiness by walking through the fire and when he refused the current of opinion turned against him. He was arrested, and under torture confessed to being a false prophet. On 23 May 1498 he was hanged with two of his leading lieutenants, their burnt bodies and their ashes scattered in the river Arno. Some see the figures of these three men at the base of the painting as representatives of the three executed holy men, raised and restored to grace - but persecution was not the world for the followers of Savonarola, and it was in an atmosphere of oppression that Botticelli intended to create Mystical Christmas.
The painting is on canvas - normally he would use a wood panel - perhaps for a painting with a dangerous message, the canvas had the advantage that it could be folded up and hidden. With his canvas prepared, he would sketch the detailed design on paper, then he would transfer it to the canvas. He drew on many sources - the dancing angels repeat his own three graces. Primavera, the rushing devil was inspired by a German woodcut. The x-ray shows that very little of the original design has changed - only the angel's wing has been fitted and trees have been added over the roof of the stable. Botticelli was now ready to create an image using oil paint - like a canvas experimental medium. To create a heavenly dome, Botticelli turned to the goldsmith's craft, which he learned as a boy. "The symbolism of gold refers to the unchanging, unsullied nature of the heavens - gold does not decay, it does not darken like silver. Botticelli would use an adhesive layer made from oil mixed with resin - not polished, gold just flattened on the surface, after the surface faults of the canvas - gloss, tangled, it will help the gem as a quality of painting - it would pull the eye upwards from Christmas to Heaven Faith, hope and charity, [angels dressed in ] white, green and red - but the copper based green pigment has faded over time to bronze. Initially it would have been bright."
The fate of painting
Botticelli died in 1510. Mystical Christmas remained hidden for another three centuries. Rome in the late 18th century was very different from Renaissance Florence - except for the presence of French invaders. Many foreigners left, but not the young Englishman, William Young Ottley. He was an art lover, and wealthy with a slave plantation in the Caribbean. He bought a lot of paintings cheaply. At the Villa Aldobrandini he saw a small, unknown work, Mystical Christmas Botticelli. Botticelli was then in darkness.
It arrived in London, where the Ottley house became in effect a private museum of Italian masterpieces. After Ottley's death, Stansted's William Fuller Maitland took the painting at auction for £80. When he loaned it to the Masterpieces Exhibition, Manchester 1857, it was now on open display. Exhibition newspaper Auditor of Masterpieces printed a new engraving of him.
John Ruskin helped give painting its name; after seeing it in London, he mentioned the "mystical symbolism of Botticelli". When Maitland died, the National Gallery in London stepped in. According to Nicholas Penny the Gallery “was concerned to buy works from the earlier Renaissance – previously it had been its top priority to buy masterpieces about which there would be no controversy at all. There was an element of avant-garde excitement about buying paintings like this in the 19th century." The gallery had to find £1,500, having been nearly 20 times what it had brought in just thirty years earlier.
Christmas is the most beloved holiday in the entire Christian world. He is full of exciting expectations, anticipation of a miracle, hopes. The anticipation of the renewal of life, which should come after Christmas night, colors the days long before the onset of the festive event, only at the thought of it. The brightest dreams and the most daring plans for the next year are associated with Christmas. Now they are often quite secular in nature, but this complex of emotions has developed over the centuries in line with the religious experiences of one of the main holidays of the Christian church. Art - painting, drama, music - actively participated in its decoration and embodied these experiences.
Matthias Grunewald. Christmas.
The wing of the Isenheim altar. OK. 1515. Unterlinden Museum, Colmar
IN In Holy Scripture, the circumstances of the birth of Christ are stated quite briefly, without mentioning the exact facts (which gave rise to arguing in subsequent centuries even about the date of Christmas). The most detailed description of the event is contained in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2: 6-7): “When they were there (in Bethlehem. - N.M.), the time has come for her to give birth; and she gave birth to her firstborn son, and swaddled him, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in an inn. But this story is stingy with details.
The earliest images appeared on the walls of the Roman catacombs, and not so much represented the event in detail, but indicated it. In subsequent centuries, the apocrypha, the works of church writers, the writings of the mystics, and the mystery drama have blossomed the plot with many details and experiences. The beginning of this movement was laid by the mystical teaching of Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), the core of which was love for Christ the Infant and Christ the Passion-Bearer, as well as veneration and love for the Mother of God.
In the Revelations of Brigid of Sweden (c. 1304-1373), the nativity scene is described in many details as a picture that appeared before her as clearly as if it were a real event when this nun, on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, ended up in Bethlehem. In memory and in honor of the Nativity of Christ, Francis of Assisi (1181/2–1226) for the first time staged a performance of the scene at the manger with the divine baby as an independent action, not included in the liturgy, so that as many laity as possible, including those inexperienced in Latin and illiterate could see "how it was." It happened in 1223, and from this date the medieval religious drama traces its history.
XV - the first half of the XVI century - the time of its highest popularity and distribution.
The main theme of these theatrical performances (mysteries) was the life of Christ, the performance of the Passion enjoyed the greatest success, often stretching for several days and performed for many hours. The porch of the cathedral, the platform on the market square or just the square and streets of the city served as a stage platform. A variety of technical devices: blocks for "ascension", hatches for "falling into hell" - contributed to the vividness of the impression. Putting on a performance of the Passion was the best and highest thing that only a city could celebrate an outstanding event.
Sandro Botticelli. Mystical Christmas. OK. 1500
The texts of the dramas consisted of hundreds and even thousands of poetic lines, and they were usually written by priests. Artists and artisans of the city guilds took the most direct part in the design, they, along with the clergy, were performers. The purpose of the theatrical performance was to present as clearly as possible the divine, sacred reality of these distant events. At the same time, the credibility of the details was drawn from the surrounding life. The poetic texts, the music that accompanied the action, the naturalism of the presentation (and it reached blatant extremes, when the person who played the role of Judas was barely alive at the last moment was taken out of the loop) - everything appealed to the feelings of the audience, captured their emotions. And if the "Passion" was painted in tragic, mournful experiences, then Christmas brought joyful, bright feelings.
IN 15th-16th centuries the art of painting reached such a level of development that artists could create their own interpretations of canonical Christian subjects, very much moving away from traditional iconography and endowing the works with their own emotional structure. Here are just a few examples to show how wide was the range of this creative freedom.
The scene of the Nativity of the German artist Matthias Grunewald is filled with joy, reaching some kind of ecstatic intensity. It is conveyed by the light and even as if luminous colors of the clothes of the angels and Mary. The dilapidated building, usually depicted in this scene as the birthplace of Jesus, is here replaced by an ornate loggia filled with a choir and orchestra of angels praising the Virgin Mary and the newborn baby, whom she tenderly holds in her arms. (The latter circumstance is outside the scope of the canon, according to which the baby usually lies in a manger or on the ground, and Mary either lies on a bed, or kneels and worships him.) That angelic singing accompanied Christmas can be inferred from the words of the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2: 13-14), who tells about the appearance of an angel to the shepherds with the good news: “And suddenly there appeared with an angel a numerous army of heaven, glorifying God and crying out: glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men!”
Later, Bridget of Sweden wrote quite unambiguously about this: “Then (after the miraculous birth of the baby by Mary.– N.M.) I heard the singing of angels, it was unusually gentle and beautiful.
From above, in a golden radiance (symbolizing the mountain world and heavenly paradise), God the Father looks at the Madonna and Child, and, piercing the darkness and clouds, the stream of divine light reaches the earth.
But joy is not serene. The black background of the angelic concert, the change of pictures of the light and stormy sky in the landscape behind Maria fill her with disturbing dynamic contrasts, in which one can guess the harbinger of further tragic events.
L Hiccuping about the coming of Christ into the world is also imbued with Botticelli's painting "The Mystical Nativity".
Angels not only sing and play music, they bring the shepherds and sorcerers to bow to the Infant, embrace with mortals and dance in the heavens, opened on such an occasion and revealed their golden heavenly glow, in every way embodying that “great joy”, “which will be for all people, for Today a Savior has been born to you in the city of David, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). The angels have iridescent wings and olive branches in their hands, symbolizing peace. From this rejoicing, all evil spirits in the form of small devils run and hide under the ground, in crevices.
A rush of joyful, exalted feelings, the artist conveys the rhythm of figures striving towards, almost falling into each other's arms or moving in a circle. The pattern of fluttering folds of light clothes does not so much follow the vibrations of the air, but seems to be a cast of the movements and unrest of the soul.
The shade of mystical exaltation, clearly felt in Botticelli's canvas, is due to the fact that, while creating a picture (about 1500), the artist was seized by the expectation of the end of the world and the Last Judgment, which, according to many, should have come at the beginning of the new century and the second half of the millennium . These eschatological sentiments exacerbated the feelings associated with the first coming into the world of Christ - his birth. Botticelli's version of "Christmas" is unusually original and multifaceted and is not limited to the theme of joy, but there is no opportunity for a detailed analysis here.
Italian artists of the 15th century depicted the Nativity as a scene in bright daylight. It is especially transparent and beautiful in Piero della Francesca, as if the light from the divine baby flooded the whole earth, and the emphasis was on the bright joy that this event brought to the world.
IN In the works of Dutch and German painters, a variant of Nativity arose as a night scene. The basis for this interpretation is contained in the Gospel of Luke, where it is said about the gospel to the shepherds: “In that country there were shepherds in the field who kept night(emphasis mine. - N.M.) watch over his flock” (Luke 2:8). The time when the angel appeared to the shepherds was transferred to the event itself. The painting by Gertgen tot Sint-Jans "Night Christmas" provides a vivid example of such a "nocturne".
Hertgen tot Sint-Jans. Night Christmas. 1484–1490
National Gallery, London
The scene is immersed in the darkness of the night, which is cut through by the radiance emanating from the baby lying in the manger. It highlights the faces and clothes of the angels and Mary against an almost monochrome black and brown background, shows the heads of an ox and a donkey, warming the newborn with their breath. In such an image, the words of Brigid of Sweden are exactly embodied: “... She gave birth to a Son, from Whom emanated inexpressible light and radiance, so that the sun could not be compared with Him, and even more so the candle that Joseph placed here - the divine light completely swallowed material light.
There is a touching naivety of folk sculpture in the figures; the puppet faces depict a direct, ingenuous reaction to the miracle: Mary bowed in prayer, the angels pray seriously and with concentration, and one spread his arms wide in surprise. They are very close to the Dutch wooden church sculpture of the 15th century. Simplicity, humility, and compunction fill the scene, and these feelings are characteristic of the new piety that developed among the laity in the Northern Netherlands in the 15th century.
T The Christmas night tradition has lived in Holland for a very long time. In the 17th century Rembrandt paid tribute to her, not only in painting, but also in etching, with inimitable skill creating “night scenes” using printed graphics, immersed in deep velvety or shimmering darkness.
Both traditions happily merged in one of the most famous works on the theme of Christmas - the painting by Antonio Correggio "Holy Night".
Antonio Correggio. Christmas (Holy night). 1522–1530 Gallery of old masters,
State Art Collections, Dresden
The painting was commissioned as an altarpiece for a private chapel and represents the first monumental night scene in European painting. But the most amazing thing is how the artist managed to fill this religious scene with a deeply human feeling. Traditional iconographic moments found a natural explanation in Correggio. Mary is written on her knees, because it is more convenient for her to hold the baby lying on a sheaf of wheat covering the manger. (The wheat, instead of the straw usually depicted in this scene, symbolizes the sacrament of the sacrament.) The newborn Christ is surrounded by ordinary people, and their reaction together is respectful and spontaneous. In the biography of Correggio Vasari, he described the picture in detail and especially noted how plausible the artist depicted a woman, “who, wishing to look closely at Christ, from whom radiance emanates, and unable with mortal eyes to endure the light of his divinity, as if striking her figure with its rays, closes herself hand eyes; it is so expressive that it is truly a miracle.” This light, emanating from Christ, brightly illuminates the figures and highlights the entire group from the deep twilight of the night in which the landscape is immersed. But it does not produce a mystical impression. The golden warmth of this radiance seems to be filled with love and tenderness of the young beautiful Mary for the baby. In the monumental altar image, the heartfelt lyrical theme became the leading one - maternal love, a wonderful earthly feeling.
Each element of the picture is interpreted with all the credibility of reality, without losing at the same time its symbolic meaning. A strip of dawn on the horizon is a sign of a new faith. The stone steps on which the shepherd leans are the ruins of the building of the Old Testament, leading to the newly-appeared Messiah.
The movement of people, the whirlwind of singing angels above convey the excitement caused by a miraculous event - the coming of God to Earth. The darkness of the night shrouds him in a veil of mystery.
Correggio created a work that is both truthful and sublime at the same time. A high degree of generalization and idealization of images of people and nature, and together the sincerity of human emotions brought him the well-deserved fame of one of the most perfect incarnations of the plot in world art.
P Since the New Testament speaks only indirectly about the time of the birth of Christ (that it happened during the census of the population of the Roman Empire), in the first centuries different churches celebrated it at different times - in January, spring, autumn. The first written evidence of the birth of Christ contains the Roman calendar of 354 (kept in the Vatican Library), where against December 25, with the immutability of historical fact, it is written: "Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea." This entry gave the holiday a date.
Initially, the holiday was of a purely religious nature and was celebrated with a solemn festive mass within the walls of the cathedral - following the example and in memory of the first mass celebrated by the Virgin Mary herself immediately after the birth of Christ. ("When the Virgin realized that she had already given birth to Her Baby, She immediately began to pray to Him." Bridget of Sweden. "Revelations about the life and passions of Jesus Christ and the glorious Virgin Mary, His Mother.") Mary was then joined by Joseph, angels and shepherds . Starting from the 13th century, the celebration spills over into city streets and squares, where the mysterious theatrical performances accompanying the celebration take place. And in the XVI century. the feast of Christmas comes to the home of the laity for the first time. The legend connects the beginning of this custom with the name of Martin Luther (1483–1546), an outstanding figure in the Reformation. According to legend, Luther began to put in his house on Christmas Eve, on Christmas Eve, a fir tree as a symbol of strength and peace and eternal life, which are given to man through the coming of Christ, and decorate it with candles, symbolizing the light with which the divine baby lit up the night of Christmas. There is a 16th-century engraving depicting Luther with his family next to a Christmas tree.
Luther's contemporaries were slow to follow his example. The home holiday of Christmas was either encouraged or forbidden by the church and was finally and universally established in Germany in the middle of the 18th century. It was Germany that became the classic country of the Christmas tree holiday.
In it, the Christian Christmas was combined with the ancient pagan images of the world tree and the tree of life, which were worshiped by the Druids. In Germany, the world tree has long been embodied in spruce; most of the legends and beliefs are associated with it among the Germans.
However, the symbolism of the Christmas tree developed in line with Christian concepts. In addition to those already noted, the star at the top is strengthened in honor of the Star of Bethlehem, which led the Magi. The cross, in which the trunk is attached, should recall the torments of Christ on the cross. Under the Christmas tree are placed the so-called "nurseries" (ital. presepio) - a group of figurines made of wood or clay depicting the scene of the Nativity of Christ. And in memory of the baby Christ, the center of the Christmas holiday is children. For them - gifts under the tree, apples and nuts, sweets and toys on its branches: material signs of the gifts of Christ.
In the era of romanticism, the most famous "Christmas" literary works arose: "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" by E.T.A. Hoffmann and the stories of H.K. Andersen's "Christmas Tree" and "The Girl with Matches", which laid the foundation for Christmas stories and novels in the literature of the 19th - first half of the 20th century.
From Germany, the custom of the Christmas tree around 1840 rapidly spread to European countries and to Russia. In Soviet times, during the period of religious persecution, the Christmas tree holiday was temporarily banned, and then transformed into a New Year tree holiday with a completely secular program not related to Christian tradition. It is celebrated on a grand scale even today.
Sandro Botticelli | Mysticism of Christmas / Natività mystica 1501
Tone" Christmas Mystery"shows angels and men celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. The Virgin Mary kneels in adoration in front of her young son, looked at the ox and donkey at the manger. Mary's husband, Joseph, sleeps nearby. Shepherds and wise men visited the newborn king. Angels in heaven dance and akathists sing, On earth they proclaim to the world, joyfully embracing virtuous men, while seven demons vanquished to the underworld.
>Botticelli paintings have long been called" Christmas Mystery because of its mysterious symbolism. It combines the birth of Christ, as told in the New Testament, with the vision of his second coming, as promised in the book of Revelation.
Second coming - return of Christ to earth- will portend the end of the world and the reconciliation of orthodox Christians with God.
The painting was painted one and a half millennia after the birth of Christ, when religious and political upheavals prompted prophetic warnings about the end of the world.
"Christmas Mystery"was probably painted as a private devotional work for a Florentine patron. | © National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London
LV Natività mistica stopsè un dipinto in olio su body (108.5x75 cm) di
