Pannel in boxwood : The Nativity - Southern Germany, c. 1630

This refine picture sculpted in boxwood represents the scene of the Nativity. On the left, leaning on his staff, Joseph watches over the Virgin Mary, busy swaddling the child Jesus lying on the straw. In the background, the traditional donkey and oxen attend the stage.
The essence used here, the quality of the sculpture, as well as the picturesque and antiquated style of this bas-relief invite us to attribute it to southern Germany and to date it from the first half of the 17th century. .