Piero della Francesca, 'The Nativity', 1470-5

A young, beautiful Virgin Mary kneels to adore the infant Christ. Surrounding her are a host of angels, her husband Joseph, two shepherds, and the animals, who all respond in different ways.

Find out what influenced this unusual nativity scene and learn about the touches of fifteenth-century Tuscany you can see here in Bethlehem:

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