Nativitas Christi
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Accession Number
1906-31-2
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Nativitas Christi** Johann Evangelist Holzer captures the sacred moment of Christ's Nativity, a timeless Christian theme rendered in the early 18th century Holzer, a German artist from 1709 to 1740, worked during the late Baroque period, a time when religious imagery flourished in Central Europe amid the Catholic Counter-Reformation. This print, housed in the Smithsonian American Art's collection, reflects the era's emphasis on dramatic, emotive depictions of biblical scenes to inspire devotion. As a print medium, the work exemplifies how engraving or etching techniques democratized art, al...