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MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Good Morning, Dan.:-)

Merry Christmas, Merry-Lou!

I noticed a lot of the artists get ‘Joseph’ fairly correct, in that he was probably waaay older than Mary. Perhaps in his 30’s though. Mary would have been in her mid teens.

Tradition at that time was that a man could not marry until he had a good stable income usually a skill or trade, which he would have been apprenticed as a teenager. Joseph was a Carpenter and would have been considered ‘middle class’ for his time.

Mary was ‘betrothed’ to Joseph through familial obligations from the time of her birth and would not have had any choice in the matter. Happens still in the Middle East and parts of Europe.

This would account for why Joseph essentially disappears from scripture after Jesus in the Temple as a adolescent. And why Jesus, on the cross, asked John to take care of his mother, fulfilling one of the 10 Commandments.....................

A system like that would generate a surfeit of middle-aged widows.

Seems like a graduated apprentice could become successful sooner than you suggest—early twenties, perhaps.

Yes, I’m sure a young man could IF he was good at his craft.

One of the silliest ‘nativity’ movies I ever saw was one the had both Mary and Joseph as teenagers.................

A system like that would generate a surfeit of middle-aged widows.

There seems to be a surfeit of 'widow stories' in the Bible as well!......😉

Yes, there are, along with exhortations regarding their behavior and for their support.

Very beautiful paintings by some of the great artists of the past. I also like #37 by Walter Rane; ; Giotto at #42; the reverence and simplicity of Tissot at #47.
The Botticelly Mystic Nativity is full of symbolism and the only painting he signed. In the foreground are three pairs of angel, consisting of one angel and one man embracing each other. Each pair holds an olive branch in their hand with a scroll attached to it. They are surrounded by several little devils who are killing themselves with their spears. It indicates the defeat of evil. Botticelli painted Mary very large because of her important role.

The olive branches that are held by the angels and that grow out of the ground in the foreground are an indication of the peace that is to come after the return of Jesus to earth.

On top of the painting is a choir of 12 angels holding hands. The angels are doing a mystic ring dance. They are also holding an olive branch in their hands with a scroll attached to it and a crown hanging at the bottom of the branch. The angels are under the golden dome of heaven, their dance is conveying harmony and peace to the world below.

All the angels are dressed in white, green, and red, which are, respectively, the symbols of faith, hope, and charity.​

I’m not sure, but I think the earliest ‘widow story’ was Tamar. Men died waaay earlier than their wives............

Old Jackie Mason joke:

Why do Jewish men die so much earlier than their wives?
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Because THEY WANT TO!.............>Rimshot!<............

Ahhh. 39’s GIOVANNI BATTISTA GAULLI, “St Joseph with Christ Child” made my eyes moist.

Thanks, as always, Dan.

Fabulous, Alba! Never could have imagined all that, but now that you explain it....

That is a touching picture, Claire. I’ll bet ol’ Joe’s eyes also moistened more than once....

Good Morning Dan and Hello To All; great choices every one.

Greatly Appreciate the ‘helpful teaching’ contributed by so many. Thank you all.

#37 Rane: might be the most realistic of the paintings- Mary is exhausted and sleeping, the young King of creation is fully swaddled, and Joseph is attentive and protective.

Thank you Dan -:^)

Thank You etabeta; you cause us to look more carefully, and ask questions as to symbolism.

I'm pretty sure you didn't 'select' these works for this, Dan, but fully 76% of these works have the symbols of ox & donkey. Symbols of Jew & Gentile intersecting on the fulcrum of Jesus' birth.

Again...it is just too improbable to be coinkydink, therefore again! = GOD!

Sorry if I sound like a broken record, but to me, it's like looking at a subtle , but still obvious miracle of intervention. Like seeing something beautiful, and grabbing a stranger and pointing; "Look at THAT!"

Thank you Alba! I was going to post about the symbolism in Botticelli at #42.

That work was also painted on canvas (not wood), making it much easier to hide. In fact, it was hidden for three centuries! after Botticelli's death.

Botticelli also served as a goldsmith's apprentice, and used gold flakes in the paint of the golden dome.

He was also heavily influenced by (of all people!) Savonarola.

Yes, when Botticelli came under the influence of the greatest villain of art but a charismatic speaker, the Dominican monk Savonarola, he was compelled to burn some of his non-religious art, as did others. Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Primavera survived only because they were held by the Medici Family.

Even in that simpler culture, with its much lower expectations, the privations Mary and Joseph faced were epic. They were TOUGH.

Rane brings that out. I'm struck by the straw tote featured prominently at Mary's feet, which would have served as one of only a couple of carry-alls in that arduous journey. It emphasizes how limited they were.