Scripture · Luke 3:21-22
Psalm 98:5
The Nativity
Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, in melodious song with the harp.
The angels stand in a measured row, but the donkey behind them has its mouth open too. Piero’s Nativity invites us to imagine both music and a decidedly rustic interruption.
About the artwork
Two angels pluck lutes while their companions sing. Their pale garments and repeated upright figures give the choir a rhythm that can be seen even without sound. Mary kneels apart in blue, the child resting on her mantle. Behind her, Joseph and the shepherds occupy the rough shelter as naturally as the animals do.
Piero made the panel for his family’s house and placed the birth in a Tuscan landscape. Heavenly music has arrived close to home. This reproduction predates the 2022 restoration: the worn shepherds’ faces reflect damage to the paint, not a decision to leave them unfinished.
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What does Psalm 98:5 mean?
Psalm 98 calls for voices and strings to celebrate God’s saving acts, then extends the praise to sea, rivers and hills. Piero’s angelic lutes give a visible form to that invitation without turning the picture into an illustration of the Psalm. The contrast between the disciplined choir and its dusty surroundings is part of the interest: praise has room for the world in which people, animals and a vulnerable child actually live.
Sources
National Gallery collection record. National Gallery NG908: angelic music, the braying donkey, the family-palace setting and the painting’s condition. The Yorck reproduction shown here records its state before the 2022 restoration.
Psalm 98 — Berean Standard Bible. The paired text read in its surrounding chapter.
Also from Psalm:David with the Head of GoliathNativity