The Christmas Cycle relates to the birth of Jesus, as described in the Bible in the Gospels. The episode of the “Annunciation to the Shepherds” (Luke 2: 8-20) refers to the appearance of an angel who conveys the good news of the Messiah’s arrival: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour…” (Luke 2: 11). And “suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2: 13-14). This moment is represented in the upper part of all the illuminations displayed here, in which the painters attempt to remain faithful to the Bible text.

The central and lower plane of the compositions is occupied by the depiction of the shepherds, simple folk who were the first to receive the announcement of Jesus’s birth. Although the master painters follow the Bible text closely, they undoubtedly find greater freedom in translating the customs, expressing the clothing and framing the landscape, reflecting the historical and temporal context in which the illuminations were produced.