Below the figure of the angel Gabriel on the left-hand inner wing another annunciation is taking place, although this time the angel brings news of the birth of the Christ Child.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord... [Luke 2:9-11]
In a blaze of light the angel emerges from a cloud (symbolising that the angel has been sent from heaven) and appears to some shepherds, who are keeping watch over their sheep. The angel's radiance shines down upon their sheep and lightens the night-time hillside.
In a similar gesture to the magus pointing out the star in the Adoration of the Magi, a shepherd draws attention to the angel in the sky. Meanwhile, another shepherd at the bottom of this panel points upwards to the hovering angel, drawing the viewer's gaze around the painting. The attentive viewer will notice the face of a sheep peering out towards them at the bottom of the picture. With its proximity to the image of the baby Jesus, this sheep is a reminder of Christ's sacrificial role as the Lamb of God.
