Glorious painting by the Italian painter Allessandro (Sandro) Botticelli of the celebrations in heaven and on earth after the birth of Jesus. This oil painting from 1500 has been referred to as the Mystic Nativity because it is believed to symbolize the birth of Jesus as well as his second coming. It was painted during a time of great unrest and many thought the end of the world was imminent.
The painting is full of dancing and celebrating angels both in heaven and on earth. In the foreground, kings and angels hug each other and in the middle of everything, Baby Jesus lays in a manger being watched over by his mother Mary and his sleeping father Joseph. A cow and a horse also watch over the family in this beautiful Christmas image.
The original painting is over 500 years old which puts it clearly in the public domain in the entire world. However, some countries are extending copyrights to photographs of public domain works. Please ensure that this Christmas image is in fact copyright free in your country before using it for any public works. You can read more about Photographs and Copyrights on our About Us page.
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.
