Wikipedia:Main Page history/2014 December 25

The Nativity is a large oil-on-wood panel painting by the Early Netherlandish artist Petrus Christus, completed between the early 1440s and early 1460s. It shows a nativity scene bordered with grisaille (monochrome) archways and faux sculpted reliefs. Christus was influenced by the first generation of Netherlandish artists, especially Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden, and in its sense of grace, simplicity and naturalism, the devotional panel is characteristic of art of that period. The unusually large panel – perhaps painted as a central altarpiece panel for a triptych – is nuanced and visually complex. It reflects the 14th-century Devotio Moderna movement and contains complex Christian iconography, juxtaposing Old and New Testament saints and figures with great subtlety. The sculpted archway reliefs depict Old Testament ideas of sin and punishment, signaling the advent of Christ's sacrifice. The composition employs geometric forms and a bold use of color. In the 1930s, Andrew Mellon bequeathed it to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, as one of several hundreds of works donated from his personal collection. It was restored in the early 1990s. (Full article...)

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From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

• ... that the Adoration of the Magi by Fra Angelico and Filippo Lippi contains an over-large peacock (detail illustrated) that is a Medici emblem?
• ... that Aubrey Plaza rewrote the majority of her lines when voicing Grumpy Cat in Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever?
• ... that Tom Odell covered the last song recorded by The Beatles for the John Lewis Christmas advert in 2014?
• ... that Lapis Lacedaemonius, a volcanic rock known today only from a single source, has been used as decoration in places as far apart as London, Venice, and Palermo?
• ... that "See, Amid the Winter's Snow" calls for the listener to "Sing through all Jerusalem, Christ is born in Bethlehem"?
• ... that Libby Lane is the first woman to be appointed a bishop by the Church of England?
• ... that the Gloria by Karl Jenkins was premiered in 2010 by The Really Big Chorus?

• Beji Caid Essebsi (pictured) wins the Tunisian presidential election.
• India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk III successfully completes its first flight, carrying the crew vehicle demonstrator CARE.
• U.S. aid worker Alan Gross and three members of the Cuban Five are released by Cuba and the United States, respectively, as both nations move to resume diplomatic relations.
• In an effort to curtail the rapid decline of the ruble, the Central Bank of Russia raises interest rates to 17%.
• At least 141 people are killed as Taliban gunmen storm a school in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Ongoing:

Ebola outbreak –

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Recent deaths:

K. Balachander – Joe Cocker

December 25: Christmas Day (Gregorian calendar); Quaid-e-Azam Day (Pakistan)

• 1066 – Norman Conquest: William the Conqueror was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey, although he still faced rebellions over the following years and was not secure on his throne until after 1072.
• 1776 – American Revolutionary War: At night, George Washington and his army crossed the Delaware River to launch a surprise attack against the Hessian forces at the Battle of Trenton the next morning.
• 1926 – Emperor Taishō died of a heart attack, and was succeeded by his son, Hirohito, who ruled until his death in 1989, becoming the longest-reigning Emperor of Japan.
• 1989 – Romanian Revolution: Dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu (pictured) and his wife Elena were condemned to death under a wide range of charges and executed.
• 2007 – A tiger at the San Francisco Zoo escaped from its enclosure and attacked three patrons before it was shot and killed.

More anniversaries: December 24 – December 25 – December 26

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