The Birth
Andrew Kosorok
- Medium
United States
ca. 2009
Cut, etched, and fused glass
"This is a depiction in glass of the birth of Jesus Christ from the description given in section 19 of the Qur’an. Here, the Nativity occurred in a miraculous oasis; Mary was fed by date palms that offered their fruit, and thirst was alleviated by the splashing of a stream flowing near her. This subject was chosen because this event is among the greatest of the things of God, and it was exciting to learn of its remembrance in a symbolic vocabulary different from that with which I am familiar. On the back wall is a fleur-de-lis cradling a small fish with a crown. The lily was an ancient symbol used to depict the mercy and condescension of God, later adopted by the Europeans after contact through trade and the Crusades. The lily, with its implications of mercy and purity, came to be associated with Mary, the mother of Christ."