The Nativity 《耶稣降生》

译/爱艺

English artist Arthur Hughes (1832—1915)reminds us all of how young Mary was when she gave birth to Jesus. Hughes’ version ofThe Nativity(oil and gold leaf on canvas,612mm × 358mm, 1858) focuses on an extremely young woman learning how to care for her newborn.

[2] With the direct assistance of two angels and with three others looking on, Virgin Mary wraps swaddling1swaddling襁褓用的长布条。around her young son, perhaps for the first time. Mary wears a white robe and her long red hair falls loosely over her shoulders. An angel on the left holds a lamp to aid Mary. The pink wings of the angels frame the bottom of the composition. At the top of the image is a hole in the ceiling through which can be seen the heads of three angels.

[3] The entire scene is quite intimate and reflects the close quarters of the stable. In the background is a manger and the floor is strewn with straw. Mary kneels in front of the manger and her child is being held by one of the purplerobed angels. Jesus is crowned in a nimbus2nimbus（神像头部的）光轮，光环。, a style of halo3halo（圣像的）光轮，光环。often found in Renaissance paintings. ■

英国画家阿瑟·休斯（1832—1915）的画作让我们想起了年轻的马利亚生下耶稣时的情景。休斯的这版《耶稣降生》（布面油画附金叶，612毫米×358毫米，1858年。图见本期封底）集中描绘的是一个初为人母者，学着如何照顾自己的新生儿。

[2]画中，圣母马利亚将襁褓长布条缠裹在初生儿子身上，这也许是她第一次操作，她的身边有两个天使帮忙，还有三个天使旁观。马利亚身着白袍，红色的长发散披肩上。左边，一位天使手持油灯，帮马利亚照亮。天使的粉色翅膀显露在画面底部。画面顶端的天花板上有一个窗洞，三个天使的脑袋清晰可见。

[3]整个场景宁静私密，描绘的是逼仄的马厩。背景中有一个马槽，地板上散落着稻草。马利亚跪在马槽前，一位紫袍天使双手捧着婴儿耶稣。耶稣头顶有一轮光环，就是文艺复兴时期画作中常见的那种。 □