Happy 2006!

2006 The Chinese Year of the Dog

All Signs Point to Nativity

The New-born, c. 1640 by Georges de la Tour, Musee des Beaux Arts, Rennes.

Often artists would mask religious scenes by setting them in the present and leaving out all of the traditional "signs" of a religious nativity scene such as a halo on the mother and child, but the calm the beauty and the presence of a figure who could be perceived as St. Anne, seem to indicate a religious meaning.

Unexpected News

The Annunciation, c.1441-3 by Fra Angelico, Museo di San Marco, Florence.

Calm pervades the scene as Mary is informed by the Archangel Gabriel that she is carrying the child of God. St. Peter the Martyr (the patron saint of the inquisitive) looks on as she receives the news. Fra Angelico, a Dominican Monk, was known for his palette of pastels and serene depictions.