#worldnativities2021

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 5

Page from a 15th-century Book of Hours, likely made in Northeast France. Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA, 07.MS.639.

This scene of the Wise Men presenting their gifts to the Christ Child is from a page in a 15th-century Flemish medieval prayer book known as the Book of Hours. These personal prayer books contained devotions appropriate for the eight canonical hours of the day, as well as other prayers and texts. According to the Gospel of Matthew, “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (2:11). 

Here the gifts of the Wise Men take the form of three golden chalices. Both the Christ Child, who sits on Mary’s lap, and Mary herself, have haloes, but the infant Christ’s halo incorporates the sign of the cross. The clothing of the Wise Men suggests that they have come from three different of countries, while their hair and beards suggest three different ages: youth, adult, and old age. In the left-hand border of the page, two hounds are depicted chasing a white rabbit. Below the main scene is a peacock. 

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on the home page of our Advent calendar (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar). To receive these in your newsfeed, follow our social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr).

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 4

Stained-glass panel by Winfred S. Hyatt and Lawrence Saint from the Christmas window in Glencairn’s Chapel. The window was made from 1928 to 1956. Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA.

This stained-glass panel, made in the Bryn Athyn glassworks, depicts the visit of the Wise Men (sometimes called Magi) to the infant Jesus, with the Star of Bethlehem shining above. According to the Gospel of Matthew, “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” (2:9–12). This scene is in the Christmas window on the south wall of Glencairn’s Chapel. 

The meaning of the term Magi (in Greek magoi) in the context of Matthew’s narrative has been a topic of discussion since the early days of the Christian Church. They have been variously described as “sages,” “diviners,” “astrologers,” or “priests.” As early as the third century, however, some interpreters of the Bible began to identify the Wise Men as kings, in connection with a prophesy found in the Book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible: “May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!” (Psalm 72:10). By the time of the Middle Ages, the “three kings” were being depicted in art with crowns and elaborate garments.

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on the home page of our Advent calendar (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar). To receive these in your newsfeed, follow our social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr).

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 3

Stone with polychromy, made in France during the late 15th-century. Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA, 09.SP.83.

According to the Gospel of Luke (1:39–56), after the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus, the Son of God, she traveled to visit her cousin Elizabeth. This event is commonly called the Visitation. In this 15th-century sculpture group from France, Mary (left), who is pregnant with Jesus, holds a rosary, a set of prayer beads often seen in medieval art. Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist, touches her cousin’s womb. According to Luke, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary she was filled with the Holy Spirit, and proclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (1:42). This sculptural group may have been made for a private chapel dedicated to either Saint Elizabeth or Saint John the Baptist.

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on our website (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar. To receive these in your newsfeed, follow the Museum’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr).

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY TWO

Stained-glass panel by Winfred S. Hyatt from the Christmas window in Glencairn’s Chapel in Bryn Athyn, PA. The window was made by Lawrence Saint and Winfred Hyatt from 1928 to 1956. Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA.

This stained-glass panel, made in the Bryn Athyn glassworks, depicts the moment when the angel Gabriel announces to Mary, who is resting on a bed indoors, that she has been chosen to be the mother of Jesus Christ. According to the Gospel of Luke, the angel said, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus” (1:31). The scene is at the top of the Christmas window on the south wall of Glencairn’s Chapel. While the lower scenes in this window were copied from the original 13th-century church of Sainte-Radegonde outside the city of Poitiers, France, this Annunciation seems to have been designed by Bryn Athyn artist Winfred S. Hyatt. (An Annunciation scene has not survived from the window at Sainte-Radegonde.)

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on our website (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar). To receive these in your newsfeed, follow the Museum’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr).

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY ONE

Fresco by an unknown artist from the Clarissan monastery of Santa Maria inter Angelos, near Spoleto, Italy (c. 1300). Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA, 08.FS.07.

The story of the Annunciation to Mary comes from the Gospel of Luke (1:26–38), in which the angel Gabriel appears to Mary and informs her that she will give birth to Jesus, the Son of God. This large, 13th-century Italian fresco in Glencairn’s Great Hall depicts the moment when Gabriel delivers this astonishing news. The angel says to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.” (Luke 1:30–31). Gabriel, on the right with wings and a halo, walks toward Mary with his hands in a gesture of blessing. Mary, also wearing a halo, inclines her head, which is covered with a cloak, to Gabriel.

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on our website (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar). To receive these in your newsfeed, follow the Museum’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr). 

According to tradition, a Moravian Star should be displayed beginning on the first Sunday in Advent (the fourth Sunday before Christmas) until Epiphany (January 6). The Herrnhut Star Company in Herrnhut, East Saxony, Germany, has been producing Moravian Stars for over 160 years. The star on exhibit in Glencairn’s Upper Hall was originally given as a gift to Oskar Boehm by his sister Erna Pfueller (née Boehm). Oskar, his wife Anna, and their children had immigrated from Germany’s Erzgebirge region to the United States in 1928. Edna remained in Germany, and following World War II the region where she lived became part of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). In the 1950s Erna mailed the star from Germany to Oskar’s family as a gift. Oskar worked as a sexton for St. James Methodist Church on Tabor Road in Philadelphia, and for many years it was displayed in that church at Christmastime. (Gift of Helmut and Elfriede Boehm) 

Check out this year’s “Christmas at Glencairn” events here: https://bit.ly/ChristmasAtGlencairn

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 9

Watercolor painting by Maud Petersham, from Woodstock, New York (1961). Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA, 07.WC.1225.

This watercolor painting of the Presentation in the Temple, an early episode in the life of Jesus Christ, was made by Maud Petersham, an artist from Woodstock, New York. According to the biblical account, after Jesus was born Joseph and Mary traveled to Jerusalem to present their newborn child at the temple, as required by law. While they were at the temple, the Holy Spirit visited a man named Simeon and revealed to him that Jesus was the Messiah. Simeon then took Jesus into his arms, said a prayer, and blessed them (Gospel of Luke 2:25–35).  

Maud and Miska Petersham, a husband-and-wife artist team, were well known in the first half of the 20th century as illustrators and authors of children’s literature. Their illustrations were a special favorite with Mildred Pitcairn. This painting was commissioned by Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn in 1961, and was sent from Glencairn as their Christmas card that year.

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on the home page of our Advent calendar (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar. To receive these in your newsfeed, follow our social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr).

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 8

Limestone relief of the Adoration of the Wise Men, 13th-century France. (Detail photo on top.) Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA, 09.SP.119.

This limestone relief with the Adoration of the Wise Men was made in 13th-century France. It illustrates the biblical story describing these travelers, who came “from the East,” saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him” (Gospel of Matthew 2:1–2). 

During the construction of Glencairn, Raymond Pitcairn set this relief into the north wall of the inglenook in the Great Hall, where it remains today. All three of the Wise Men are represented as kings wearing crowns, in keeping with medieval tradition. The foremost king, whose arm is broken off, is shown kneeling to present a gift—either gold, frankincense, or myrrh (Matthew 2:11). 

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on the home page of our Advent calendar (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar). To receive these in your newsfeed, follow our social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr).

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 7

Lampshade panel illustrating the Visitation of the Shepherds, made in the late 1930s or early 1940s. Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA, 11.OP.02.

This handcrafted lampshade panel illustrates the Visitation of the Shepherds. According to the Gospel of Luke, “So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us’” (2:15). 

The panel is one of six scenes from the Nativity narrative decorating a Christmas-themed lampshade in Glencairn’s Chapel. The plexiglass shade was commissioned by Raymond Pitcairn in the late 1930s or early 1940s; it was designed and painted by Francis (“Frank”) Eugene Snyder (1908–1995). Synder painted the plexiglass with oils and other media in order to achieve the appearance and texture of stained glass when the lamp is turned on.

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on the home page of our Advent calendar (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar. To receive these in your newsfeed, follow our social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr).

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 6

Stained-glass roundel of the Annunciation to the Shepherds made in 13th-century France. Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA, 03.SG.240.

This 13th-century stained-glass roundel illustrates the biblical story of the Annunciation to the Shepherds (Luke 2:8–14). Here an angel with green wings and a purple cloak descends from a heavenly cloud, announcing to the shepherds that they will “find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”  

According to Professor Michael W. Cothren, “Medieval artists commonly used a wavy, arching band of clouds (frequently placed across the corner of a rectangular composition) to show a separation between the earthly realm below and the heavenly realm above. For example, when a disembodied hand of God emerges from heaven to command or bless a situation taking place on earth, it is often overlapped by an arching band of ‘clouds of heaven.’ Sometimes the face of God appears within the cloud band. Sometimes angels swoop down toward earth underneath or emerging from the clouds.” (“The ‘Clouds of Heaven’ Motif in Art Created for Glencairn,” Glencairn Museum News No. 1, 2021).

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on the home page of our Advent calendar (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar). To receive these in your newsfeed, follow our social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr).