Nativity

Conrad von Soest's Nativity, dated 1404 and located in Saint Nikolaus parish church in Bad Wildungen, is part of the same altarpiece program as his Passionsaltar and represents him at his most brilliantly elegant. Von Soest was the defining master of Westphalian painting at the turn of the fifteenth century, known above all for his extraordinary color sense — cool silvery blues and pinks unique among his German contemporaries. The Nativity scene, showing the Christ child in the manger with Mary, Joseph, the ox and ass, and the heavenly host, gave painters the opportunity to explore nocturnal light and the tender relationship between mother and newborn child. Von Soest's version combines doctrinal completeness with an almost courtly refinement.

Von Soest's palette achieves a distinctive cool luminosity through silvery blues, pale greens, and delicate pinks quite unlike the warmer tones of Bohemian or Cologne contemporaries. The Christ child is rendered as a light source, illuminating the immediate figures. Drapery folds are elaborate and decorative, reflecting the courtly elegance of his style.