Shepherds’ bow
- Subject
- Late Gothic retable depicting scenes from the lives of Mary and Jesus
- Author, school, workshop
- Wit Stwosz (ca. 1448-1533)
- Contributor
- -
- Style
- Late Gothic
- Date
- 1477-1489
- Type
- Altarpiece in the form of a pentaptych
- Material and technique
- Wood/carving, gilding, polychrome
- Size
- 2,5 × 2,3 m
- Signatures and inscriptions
- -
- Identity number
- -
- Department
- -
- Links/analogies
- -
- Owner
- Saint Mary's Basilica in Krakow
- Copyright
- Saint Mary's Basilica in Krakow
- Location
- Saint Mary's altar (by Wit Stwosz) in the presbytery
- Description
- Mary adores Jesus kneeling with her hands folded over her chest. This gesture is reminiscent of humility, and this quality (humilitas in Latin) was considered the source of all virtues in the Middle Ages. The baby is laid directly on the ground, and the whole event takes place not in a stable or a cave (as Christmas is still portrayed in the East today), but in the ruins of David's palace, a reminder of Israel's former splendour. The figure of St Joseph is also prominently featured, the cult of the bridegroom of the Blessed Virgin Mary only beginning to gain momentum in the 15th century; before that, his role in the history of salvation was limited to silent participation.
