Baden or Swabian carver (active at the end of the 18th century) Birth of Christ Carved lime wood. The scenic depiction shows the Holy Family immediately after the birth of Christ and follows the formative Christmas vision of St Birgitta of Sweden (1303 - 1373), in which she described how Mary, kneeling on the ground with folded hands, worships the unclothed child, who is lying here in a basket filled with straw as a manger. The relief panels by Michael Pfaff, created in 1792/93 for the parish church of Heiligkreuz in Offenburg, near Strasbourg, are comparable in style and chronological context. Minimally dam.; total h. 40.5 cm. Provenance: Dissolution of an important German private collection - part II. Baden or Swabian sculptor active in the end of 18th century. Carved limewood relief panel depicting the nativity of Christ. Frame added. Minor chipped.