Here is a Nativity c. 1452, by Petrus Christus with a most unusual feature -- the Christ child is crying!
In addition to the six basic elements of a Nativity (3 Holy Family members, 2 animals, stable), there are three angels added above the scene.
There is at least one other distinctive touch: if you look
closely on the left, you will see the rear-end of the
donkey. As mentioned, the infant is crying, an event which must have occurred often but is almost never depicted.
Another unusual feature is the archway surrounding the entire scene, with assorted niches filled with human figures. Here Christus has cleverly told the story of Adam and Eve
in two scenes on either side of the picture (avenging angel and Adam on
the left; Eve and the serpent on the right). He has similarly told the
story of Cain and Abel in just three scenes above the stable (Abel
sacrificing a lamb on the left; Cain offering vegetables on the right;
Abel being slain by Cain at the top).
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