The Stable in Bethlehem

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

For this Nativity scene Gourmont used the backdrop of a caved-in classical building to herald the dawning of a new era. Much grander even in ruins than an actual stable would have been at the time of Jesus’s birth, the setting emphasizes the contrast between the elaborate architecture of Antiquity and the humble beginnings of Christianity. Only one documented painting and about thirty engravings testify to the extraordinary art of Jean de Gourmont. This, his most famous engraving, was completed during his visit to Lyons, and reveals the artist's extraordinary command of perspective.

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