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THE CHILDHOOD OF
JESUS CHRISTTHE ANNUNCIATION
3]
THE CHILDHOOD OF
JESUS CHl^IST
\fiS^|RY,yAN 'DYkE,vD.D.
At'fh'oWo/"The Blue Flower," "The
->;,;- Ruling Passion," "Little >
Rivers,"etc.
WITHTWENTY ILLUSTRATIONSFRO.'A PAINTINGS BY GREAT '
".,-> ' MASTERS ' /
f^EWTfJ^Al. RES^R\/s
NEW YORK
FREDERICK A. STOKES
COMPANY
PUBLISHERS
A^^-i
261968B
TiLDi::; i
R 1943
TRANS. TO
CENTRAL
RESERVE• • cCopyright,1904,«rgaf %• By FrederickA. StokesCcTwp^fi?/
*Cg "^ PublishedinNovember, 1Q05
THEUNIVERSITY PRESS,CAMBRIDGE,U.S.A.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE TheAnnunciation . . . Rossetti. Frontispiece
The Annunciation of the
Birth ofJesus . . . Burne-Joties . . 15
TheAnnunciation . . . l^anderWeyden 21 TheAnnunciation . . . Francia
...
27The Arrivalof theShep-
herds Lerolle
....
33The Holy Night
....
Correggio...
39TheAdorationoftheShep-
herds Murillo . , . 45
The Presentation in the
Temple De Champaigne . 51
The Madonna with the
InfantJesus
....
Dagnan-Boiiveret 57 TheStarofBethlehem. . Bume-Jones . . 63TheAdorationoftheWise
Men yelasque:^
...
697
List ofIllustrations PAGE TheAdorationoftheWise
Men Boiigiiereau . . 75
AdorationofMagi . . . Rubens . .
The HolyFamily
....
Murillo TheVirgin withthe ChildJesus Botticelli
...
93MadonnadelCardellino . Raphael
...
99 The TriumphoftheInno-cents Hohnan Hunt . 105
The Holy Family resting
onthewaytoEgypt. . ^^anDyck . .
The Return of the Holy
FamilytoNazareth . . Dobson . . .
TheFindingoftheSaviour
intheTemple
....
Hohnan HuntTHE CHILDHOOD OF
JESUS CHRISTTHE ANNUNCIATION OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS
BURNE-JONES
'3]
THE CHILDHOOD OF
JESUS CHRIST
^..^^^WHE
story of the bii-tli and/it
I
\ childhood of Jesus Christ,
\>.^
which is narrated sobrieflyand simply, and yet with such wonderful, vW^d beauty, in the
New
Testament, has taken deep holdupon
the heart and the im- agination of Christendom.No
other part of the Gospel history hasgiven so
many
themes to poet and painter.No
other story in the world has been so often illus- trated by somany famous
artists.It is easy to see at least three of 17
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
the elements c-f interest which have
made
it a favourite sul"jedin the arts.
First,there is the religious inter- estwhich centres in the arrival of the DT*^ine Saviour in the world which
He came
to save. Such an event, for allwho
beiiev.^. in the Christian religion, nrd?i nav^e a profound significance. It is the sunrise of faith, the beginning of anew
spiritual life, the laying of the corner-stone of thekingdom
of heavenon
earth. Even if the artist himself v/ere notsure of this, did not altogether believe it, he mustknow
that other people be- lieved it; and putting himself into18
THE ANNUNCIATION VAN DERWEYDEN
19]
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
sympathy
withthem
through the imagination, he could see what the Nativity wouldmean
to them,what
a supreme importance was given by the faith of Christendom to the brief and simple story of the birth at Bethlehem.Second, there is the
human
in- terest which clings to the ever- beautiful relation of motherhood and childhood.The
tenderest and most unselfish love is that with which a true mother looksupon
her little child.The
most perfect innocence and trustful joy are re- vealed in the deep eyes of the babywho
smiles into the face ofhis mother bending above him.
23
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
The
paintings of the Child Jesus and the VirginMary
havedrawn
into themselves the best thoughts of
men
concerning the gracious secret of maternity and the un- stained bliss of infancy.Third, there is the poetic and
pictorial interest which grows out of the incidents of the story: the strange contrast between the heav- enly significance of the birth of Christ and its outward circum- stances: the blending of light and shade, joy and sorrow, hope and
fear, angelic songs and earthly persecutions. All these contrast- ing elements, grouping themselves about the central figure of a help-
24
THE ANNUNCIATION
25]
\
,^
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
less little child with a mission of celestial importance to fulfil, alTord afield of illumination and illustra- tionsuch as art loves.
Forin the great ages and schools of painting the curious theory that a picture mustnot have ameaning, but must be essentially nothing
more
than a striking or pleasing arrangement of lines and combina- tionof colours,has never prevailed.Truth of drawing,
symmetry
of composition, beauty andharmony
of colouring,—
these are essential, of course, to a good painting. But they are only themeans
by which the painter expresses himself, his thought,hisfeeling,without words,29
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
to the eyes of other men. Great
artists have always chosen subjects for their pictures, and for the most part subjects with associations of poeticordramatic
meaning —
sub- jects which appeal directly to a quickened emotion in thosewho
look thoughtfully and understand
-
ingly at the pictures. It
would
be difficult to say where one could findmore
ofsuch subjects, (so full of vivid contrasts, so immediate in their appeal tomany
hearts,)thaninthe storyof the Child Jesus.
My
first advice then, to thosewho
wish thoroughly to appreciate and enjoy the pictures reproducedin this
book
is to read and re-read 30THE ARRIVAL OF THE SHEPHERDS
31]
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
theGospelof St.
Matthew from
the eighteenth verse of the firstchapter to the end of the second chapter, and the firsttwo
chapters of St.Luke's Gospel. It is not possible for any one really to study and rightly to value the works of art
which represent the different inci- dents of the birth and childhood of Christ, without knowing, and
knowing
intimately, thestorywhich they illustrate.Then
it would be wise to readsome
of the later legends which were woven,intheapocryphalbooks and in the mediaevalpoems
and narratives, about the central events of the storygiven in the Gospels.35
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
Many
of these legends are curious and fantastic, evidently allegoricaland symbolical.
They
have none of the simple directness and quiet restraint of the Biblical history.They
are, in effect, clear illustra- tions of that native trait of thehuman
mind,—
familiar to every onewho
has tried to tell a true story to a child,—
the craving for picturesque detail. "How
did ithappe^n?
Where
did it happen ?Who
elsewas
there?How
did they look?What
did they do afterwards?" Such are the ques- tions that children alwaysaskwhen
they hear a story.And
these are the questions to whichmen
have36
THE
HOLY
NIGHT CORREGGIO37]
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
worked
out elaborate answers, full of fanciful incident and imagery, in the apocryphal and medieval legends,suchasthe Protevangeliiim of St. James, The Gospel of St.Thomas, The Gospel ofthepseudo- Matthew, The Historyof the
Na-
tivityof
Mary,
The Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voragine, thepoems
of Konrad of Fussesbrunn,Walther of Rheinau, the Abbess Hroswitha, the "White
Rose" of the cloister of Gandersheim, and the traditions which were preserved in fragmen- taryform
by Justin Martyr, St.Jerome, St. Bernard, and
many
other writers.
Much
ofthislegendaryandsym-
41
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
bolical materialwas taken up quite naively by the painters and
em-
bodied in their pictures. Suppose that a painterismaking-apicture of the Annunciation.He
choosesto representMary
as passing through agardenwhen
the angelcomes
to her. But this is not amere
fancy, wrought outby
the painter's im- agination, it is one of the details of the story which he has found in the apocryphalGospelofSt.James.Mary, saysthis ancient legend,
was
chosenby
lotfrom among
the vir- gins of Nazareth to spin the royal purple for the Temple-veil.One
day, asshe
was
returningfrom
the fountain,with herpitcher of water,42
THE
ADORATION
OF THE SHEPHERDS43J
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
the angel met her and said, " Hail, thou
who
art full of grace!" andwhen
she went back to her spin- ning,hecame
again to hertocom-
plete his message. If the picture represents
Mary
inthehouse,work- ingattheveil, the artist has chosen toshow
us the second appearance of the angel, if she is depicted with abook
before her, it is be- causeSt.Bernardtells us the legend thatshe was readinginthe prophe- cies of Isaiah, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,"when
the angelcame
and said,"Blessed art thoii
among women."
The emblems
chosenby
the artists to put into their pictures47
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
are all significant.
The
pot ofliliesat Mary'sside, the lily-branch in the angel's hand symbolize pu-
rity.
The
olive-boughmeans
peace.
The
dove, descendingon
outspread wings, signifies the HolySpirit. Everything has a hidden meaning, a message for the heart.
And
all this is notmere
ornament, the play of idle fancy. It is the sign-languageby
whichhuman
souls speak to one another in poetry too deep forwords.Or, suppose that a painter has given us a picture of the Nativity which
shows
the Child and hismother and Josephina cave. This
is accordingto the account of Jus- 48
THE PRESENTATION IN THE
TEMPLE
DECHAMPAIGNE
49]
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
tin Martyr, (and quitein
harmony
with the customs of Palestine,) that the stable of the inn where Christ was bornwas
a grotto in the rocks. In anotherpicture, per- haps,you
see theox
and the assbowing
their heads before the Child. This is a detail given in the Gospelofthepseudo-Matthew
asa fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah,''
The ox knoweth
hisowner
andthe ass his master's crib." hi other pictures .themost
striking thing is a dazzling, supernatural light radiatingfrom
the Child andfillingthe stable, so thatthe shep- herds
who
have just entered must shade their eyes. This is a vivid53
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
feature of the description in
many
ofthe legends of the Nativity.
Or
look atsome
of the paintings of the Visitofthe Magi.The Wise Men
are almost always three innumber
; theyare dressedaskings;
one of
them
is old, one middle- aged,and oneyoung
; often ablackman
is representedamong
them.Here
we
seehow
the storyhas been developedfrom
its simple form, in thesecond chapter of St. Matthew, (where nothing is said about thenumber
of the Magi, or their ages, or their royal rank,) intothe full, rich, symbolical narrative of The Golden Legend, which tells us that theywerethree kings,named
Cas-54
THE
MADONNA WITH
THE INFANT JESUSDAGNAN-BOUVERET
55]
The Childhood ofJesus Christ
par, Melchior, and Balthasar, and thatone of
them came
fromAfrica.It is easy, then, for one
who
studies the works of art with an intelligent interest, to see
how
all this various embroideryof legends wasworked
into the presentation of the story of the Child Jesus.The
painter, evenmore
than the children's story-teller, must give details.He
mustshow
the place, the scene, the persons present, andhow
they looked. It was natural that he should turn, formany
of these particulars, to the familiar legends which enlargedupon
the Gospel narrative. It is true that the historical value of theseem-
59
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
broideries is of the slightest; but their pictorial value is rich; and their symbolism is sometimes pro- found and vital.
The
five chief points around which the paintings of the birth and childhood of Christ naturally groupthemselves are (1)The An-
nunciation, (2)
The
Nativity, (3)The
Adoration of the Magi, (4)The
Flight into Egypt, (5)The Home
at Nazareth. At each of these points a certain element of interest,human
and spiritual, be- comes dominant ; a certain aspect of the storyisperceived with singu- larclearness, and felt with control- ling power. This dominant note60
THE STAR OF
BETHLEHEM
BURNE-JONES
6i]
The Childhood ofJesus Christ
is whatthe artist must touch, if his picture is to have an inward har-
mony
with the subject, and a realcharm
for the heart as well asfor theeyes of men. Let us ask, then, whatarethose fivemotifs, andhow
have the painters dealt withthem
? 1.The
Annunciationcomes from the first chapter of St. Luke, and with it are associatedtwo
minor incidents, the visit ofMary
to her cousin Elizabeth, and the birth ofJohn
the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ.The
painters have de- lighted toshow
us the virginal beauty and meekness of Mary, the joy with which the angel broughthis message of gladness, the
awe
65
The Childhood ofJesus Christ
and
wonder
withwhichshe received thenew
conception of her son as theSon
ofthe Highest,the Saviour of His people.No
picture of the Annunciation isgood
in whichthiswonder
and this joy are not ex- pressed. If in addition the painter has chosen to put inmany
detailsfrom
hisown
fancy tomake
us feel the innocence and lowly grace of Mary's life; if he hasshown
us the quietwork
with whichshe is busy, the sweet order of herroom
which imagesthe tranquillity ofher soul;
this also is well. But the great thing isthat he should perceive and show, as simply as possible, the
charm
of that perfect figure of 66THE
ADORATION
OF THE WISEMEN
VELASQUEZ
671
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
maidenhood, no rude peasant-girl, but one with royal blood in her veins and heavenly thoughts in her heart,
"Faithfuland hopeful, wisein charity, Strongin grave peace, in pitycircum-
spect,"
worthyto be favoured
among wo- men
as the Mother of Jesus, and to have watch andward
over the helpless infancy and growing boy-hood
oftheRedeemer
of men.2.
The
pictures of the Nativity havea greater variety of incidents andofmodes
of presentation.The
simplest are thosewhich
show Mary
and Joseph in the stable with the71
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
child; then
come
those in which theangels appear, or the shepherdscome
to pay their adoration; an- other conception represents the Motheralone with her Babe, ador-ing-Him,or nursing Him. Pictures of the Presentation inthe Temple, and perhaps
some
of theMadonna
and Child, belong to the generaltheme
of the Nativity because their centralidea is the advent of Christ asa little babe.Here the painters have found a widefieldfor imagination,and have used large liberty in expressing the feelings with which diflferent per- sons
drew
near totheHoly
Child.Mary
is almost alwaysshown
as 72THE
ADORATION
OF THE WISEMEN
BOUGUEREAU
73]
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
wondrously happy; sometimes, as ill Murillo's "Adoration of the Shepherds," lifting the cloth that covers the Child and displaying
Him
withgentle pride; sometimes, as in Correggio's lovely little pic- ture at Dresden, bending overHim
in a sweet rapture of tenderness which
makes
her veryhandstremble with joy. Joseph is toooften de- picted as a feeble and somnolent oldman,
apparently little interested in the scene. There isno
warrant for this inthe Gospel narrative. Ithink it far
more
truthful toshow him
as the quiet, strongman,
the natural protector and guardian of the Mother and the Child.The
77
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
shepherds are sometimes very still andreverent, asin Murillo's picture, and sometimes very excited, as in Correggio's ''
La
Notte." Eitherway may
be true ; but the one thingthat the paintershould notdo
is to
make them
noblemen in dis- guise, assome
of the Florentine painters did.All worthy representationsofthe Nativity in Art, however they
may
differ in minor details, whether the painter has tried to reproduce the actual scene with faithful realism ofcostume andsurroundings,orhas given free rein to his fancy and transferred the event to a setting frankly
drawn from
hisown
ageADORATION
OFMAGI
79J
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
and land, should have, 1 think, this
one quality in
common
: they shouldmake
the interest of every figure in the picture centre in the Child; and mostofall,theMother's interest.They
should lift up and glorify maternity and infancy by bringing- before us in visible form the conception that the birth of Jesus, to thosewho
realized,how-
ever dimly, what it meant, wasthe
dawn
of anew
dayof hopefor the sinful and sufferingworld.To
doless than this would be to fall short of the firstrequirement of the realism ofthespirit.
3.
With
the Adoration of the Magi, anew
elementcomes
into83
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
the scene. These wise
men from
the East, whether they were kings or not, were the representatives of the outside world.
They
brought withthem
preciousgiftsfrom
afar.Their
homage
typified and fore-shadowed
the worship whichwas
to be given to Christ, in
coming
centuries, bytherulersandteachers ofthe Gentiles.
There are pictures which
show
the Magi on their journey ledby
the star, sometimes shining in theform
of a babe in the sky; and others whichshow them
at the court of Herod, asking theirway
;and otherswhich
show them
being warnedby
an angel in adream
84
THE
HOLY
FAMILY85]
VN\-^-
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
not to
go
back to Jerusalem ; and otherswhichshow them
returningby
sea to theirown
country. But the great majority of painters have chosen themoment
at which the giftsof gold andfrankincense andmyrrh
werepresented to the Child.Here there is
room
for splendid colouranddramaticcontrast.Gen-
tile da Fabriano studded hispicture with solid gold and
gems
tomake
it magnitkent. Rubens
made
his canvasglow
withrichpigments andfilled it with sweeping draperies and majestic forms. Bouguereau has grouped his kings in reverent majesty beside the cradle andgiven each of
them
a golden halo.89
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
But
how
did the Child receive thegifts?Was He
sleeping quietly?Did
He
reach out in childish glee to grasp the glittering tribute and play with it? DidHe
lift His hand in blessing, with a Divine in- timation of themeaning
of the strange scene?Who knows
!The
evangelist tells us nothing ofthis;
and so the artist is free to give us his
own
interpretation of the prophetic scene in which dignitybowed down
before meekness, and experience reverenced innocence, and thepower
and learning of the world paidhomage
to the Heavenly promise of alittle child.4.
The
Flight into Egypt is 90THE
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
the contrasting-
companion
-pieceto the Adoration of the Magi.The
one brings the great world into thedwellingof theChild Jesus; the other carries the Child Jesus out intothe great world.The
pictures of this subject fall intotwo main
divisions: those which represent the Holy Family on their journey, and those whichshow them
resting, either by the way, or in the land of Egypt.The
paintings which deal with the latter theme— commonly known
as "
The
Repose "—
includesome
of the most beautiful works of art, especiallyduringthe last three cen- turies.
Many
details have been95
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
introduced
from
the legends of the flight, in which the apocryphal History of the Nativity ofMary
is particularly rich. This is one of
them
:The
Holy Family rested by the road beneath a date-palm, andMary
desired to eat of the fruit; but ithung
high above her head. Joseph, being weary, was not able to climb the tree. But the Child Jesusknew
His mother's wish, and at Hiscommand
the treebentdown
its branches.Then He
thrust His finger into the sand, and aspringof watergushedforth.The
nextmorning
Jesus thanked the obedient tree, and promised thatone of its branches should be96
MADONNA
DELCARDELLINO
97]
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Pubi/c
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MOTT
HAVENBRANCH'^
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The Childhood of Jesus Christ
carried by the angels and planted in His Father's Paradise. Here is
the origin of all those paintings of the Repose which
show
the Mother and Child beneath a bend- ing palm-tree. Another idea has beenintroducedbymodern
painterswho show Mary
and the Child resting in Egypt, while abovethem
is seen an image of the goddess
''Isis, the
good
mother,the faith- ful nurse, suckling her infant son Horus."With many
picturesofthe Flight an allusion to the Massacre of the Innocents is naturally joined.Sometimes itis
made
acompanion-picture.
Sometimes
it appears as 101The Childhood of Jesus Christ
a distant scene in the background.
But the most beautiful andsignifi- cant connection between these
two
incidents has been imagined
by
Mr. Hoiman Hunt
in his great painting of "The Triumph
of the Innocents."The
scene is inthesouth country of Judea,and thetimeis aftermid- night ; but the fullmoon
pours a pallid radiance over the plain and the distant hills where the watch-fires are glowing red. In front marches Joseph, with his basket of tools
on
his back, a sturdy son oftoil, anxious and watchful for his charge.
The
mother, a noblewo- man
of Palestine, carries the Child102
THE
TRIUMPH
OF THE INNOCENTSHOLMAN HUNT
103]
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
in her arms, happy and fearless.
But
who
are these Httle children thatrun andfloat beside the travel- lers?They
are the spirits of the murdered innocents of Bethlehem,setfree tofollowthe infant Saviour, and knowing- that through
Him
they have entered into eternal joy.
They
are the firstof the greatcom- pany
of martyrs,who
have tri-umphed
over death by dyingfor Christ's sake. Three tiny ghosts in the rear have not yti felt His presence nor caughtsight of Him.
They
arepassingthrough theshadow of pain and mortal anguish.The
light has not yti awakened them.
But the others are radiant and 107
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
rejoicing- as ransomed souls.
The
streamon
which they float is a symbol of the mystical river oflife, clear as crystal; and the bub- bles that break
from
it reflect the shininggatesandtowersofHeaven.Joseph does not see the spirits.
I doubt whether even
Mary
seesthem
clearly. But Jesus recognizes His former playmates with joy.He
leansfrom
His mother'sarm
to greet them, holding out ahand-
ful of wheat, the symbol of the bread of Heaven.
Is it all fanciful, meaningless, unreal ?
Or
is it a true picture to the eye of what faith beholds in the religion of Jesus? Surely108
THE
HOLY
FAMILYThe Childhood ofJesus Christ
the very deepest meaning- of His birth and childhood isthe bringing of light and blessing to the suffer- ing little ones of earth ; a deeper compassion and atenderer care for
them
; and the promise ofaheavenfull of
happy
children.5. After the return
from
Egypt comes thehome
life at Nazareth, the household joy of the Holy Family, the education of theboy
Jesus, the friendshipwith His little
cousin Jobiiy the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and the finding of the
young
Christ in theTemple among
the doctors, hearing
them
and ask- ingthem
questions. There were intimationsand foreshadowings,no113
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
doubt, of the strange and high and
sacritlcial mission that lay before the boy Jesus: there were talks with His mother,
who
had kept inmind
the mysterious events of His birth and infancy and ponderedthem
inher heart. But there were also hours of quiet study over the Book, and of lonely,happy wan-
deringamong
the hills, and of joy- ous pastime with His playfellow, and of patient labour in the car- penter-shop of Joseph.Does
not the Gospel tell us that "Jesus in- creased inwisdom
and stature, andin favour with
God
andman
?"And
without study andwork
and play, without companionship and114
THE
RETURN
OF THEHOLY
FAMILYTO NAZARETH
"5]
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
solitude, without watchful care and wise freedom, such gracious growth
from
childhoodtomanhood
is impossible.
The
artists have given us their visions of theway
in which these elementsmay
have entered into thelife of Jesus. I do not care to ask for a historical proof of everyinci- dent that they have chosen to depict. I
am
glad that they have not often turned for aid, in repre- senting these early yearsof Christ, to the apocryphal books, which give incidents that are frequently trivial and sometimes unworthy.The
paintershave been wiseintak- ing littlefrom
this source. It is119
The Childhood of Jesus Christ
enough
if they have done theirwork
reverently, carefully, with thoughtful imagination, and with the painter's skill which lends a speaking beauty tothe picture. It isenough
if they help us to feel the divinecharm
of theboyhood
of Jesus and realize the certainty of theeternal
wisdom
thatentrusted theSaviour of theworld to thecare of sucha motherasMary
and such aguardian and protectorasJoseph.It is enough if they
make
us re-member more
clearlythat the Lord and Master of us allgrew
up in a simple,human home
ruledby
"Purereligion,breathing-householdlaws."
120
THE FINDING OF THE SAVIOUR
IN THE
TEMPLE
HOLMAN HUNT
121]
^;^^r