Cartão De Festividades Joseph's Dream - Christmas

A "Merry Christmas" Christmas card. The painting's discussed on the back page: Title / Date: "Dream of Joseph" / 1645 Artist: Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606 - 1669) Oil on wood. Joseph had thought to quietly divorce the pregnant Mary, but an angel visited him in a dream and explained the miraculous circumstances. Is that what Rembrandt is here depicting? If so, the timeline's a little off; because in this picture Mary's already given birth to Jesus, and the little family's sleepy in the rough-hewn gloom. Perhaps for the sake of narrative efficacy, Rembrandt's smushed different moments into one. Or maybe Joseph isn't dreaming the dream recorded in Matthew 1:20-21, but another one. Could it be that Rembrandt envisions Joseph receiving regular angelic words of encouragement to help him through those extraordinary circumstances? Visit the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin to see the painting for real. Author: B. Willard / Copyright: AM Watson / Visit: PureLoveShop.com/christmas-paintings