David depicts the birth of Christ as a scene running continuously across three panels. However, the kneeling donors, introduced by the standing Saints Jerome and Leonard, are kept distinct from the central sacred event. A later owner converted the original couple's donor portraits into Saints Anthony and Catherine by adding attributes (such as the pig, sword, and spiked wheel) and repainting the female donor's costume. The exterior wings, visible when the triptych was closed, are now in the Mauritshuis (The Hague). They depict a forest; although empty of humans, the serene landscape was designed to prompt meditations on Christian devotional themes.
Medium: Oil on canvas, transferred from wood. Dimensions: Central panel 35 1/2 x 28 in. (90.2 x 71.1 cm); each wing 35 1/2 x 12 3/8 in. (90.2 x 31.4 cm).
Source: metmuseum.org
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