Why it matters
Bruegel moves the census of Bethlehem to a snowy Flemish village at sundown. Among the villagers queuing to register with a scribe, Mary rides on a donkey led by Joseph, almost lost in the crowd.
Did you know?
- It was painted in 1566.
- It is one of five snowy landscapes with which Bruegel established winter landscape as a genre.
- The very hard winter of 1564–65 may have inspired the series.
- The ruined castle in the background is based on the towers and gates of Amsterdam.
Based on the Wikipedia article The Census at Bethlehem (CC BY-SA 4.0).
