The Nativity is one of Petrus Christus' mature work, which may have been executed in the 1460s. Its dimensions are large for its day, but it was intended as an altarpiece and not for private devotion. There is no evidence that there were originally side panels. Given its Spanish provenance, it may have been part of a large fixed retable of the Iberian type, which often included several panels in combination with sculpture. Christus have previously made similar retables for Spanish patrons.

Preview	Picture Data	File Info	Comment
	The Nativity c. 1465 Wood, 130 x 97 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington	746*1007 True Color 150 Kb
	The Nativity (detail) c. 1465 Wood National Gallery of Art, Washington	850*1273 True Color 195 Kb
	The Nativity (detail) c. 1465 Wood National Gallery of Art, Washington	750*1237 True Color 160 Kb
	The Nativity (detail) c. 1465 Wood National Gallery of Art, Washington	882*1300 True Color 207 Kb
	The Nativity (detail) c. 1465 Wood National Gallery of Art, Washington	1000*1348 True Color 205 Kb
	The Nativity (detail) c. 1465 Wood National Gallery of Art, Washington	1400*848 True Color 192 Kb