The Arts Society Henley (TASH) was given a visual treat on 12th December by Sarah Ciacci. She illustrated the Christmas Story using paintings from the Renaissance to the sixteenth century, using both well-known paintings and also lesser-known but still excellent paintings. Illustrations of the Christmas story started with the adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire, but early illustrations were essentially stylised, and it was only in the Renaissance that paintings became more realistic and often highly decorated, as new materials became available to artists. The lecture was divided by events in the Christmas story, such as the Annunciation, the Birth, the Arrival of the Magi, the Arrival of the Shepherds and the Slaughter of the Innocents and the Flight into Egypt. There was much symbolism, as artists also sought to bring in metaphors to Christ's death on the cross, and to other events in His life. There are more paintings of certain subjects. For instance, there are many paintings of the Magi, because the artists draw parallels with their wealthy patrons, and also analogies with the Slaughter of the Innocents in the lives of ordinary people in the Renaissance. Many of the artists also drew on apocryphal stories of the birth of Christ, such as that of the origins of the Magi in Europe, Asia and Africa. Sarah Ciacci is a well-known art historian, and drew widely on art collections for her lecture, including from the Metropolitan Museum, New York, and the National Gallery in Washington DC. She was able to shed new light on the paintings, which illustrate a well-known story but where not all the symbolism is apparent to modern eyes. TASH members thoroughly enjoyed it; the ability to have coffee and lunch with fellow members enhanced the occasion, and sent everyone home with a keen anticipation of the Christmas season.

 

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