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FRAMING INFORMATION
1st Art Gallery offers the option to receive your painting ready to hang or rolled in a tube.
Currently, for safety, we're able to ship framed paintings only up to a certain size. Once the maximum size is reached, the framing option is automatically disabled.
However, if you are interested in stretching or framing a painting larger than 24x36 inches (60x90 cm), please contact one of our customer success associates or let us know in your order notes. We will send you a catalog of our large framing styles and pricing options.
Unframed rolled canvas orders will arrive rolled inside a protective tube with an extra 1.5" white canvas on all sides so you can easily frame it locally.
The Census at Bethlehem is a breathtaking 116 cm × 164.5 cm (46 in × 64.8 in) oil panel by Pieter the Elder Bruegel. The work is dated 1566 and belongs to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium's collection. Some scholars defend that The Census at Bethlehem is the first landscape painting featuring predominantly snow, which is part of some of Bruegel's most famous masterpieces. Bruegel worked closely with religious orders and explored Biblical narratives, which was the case of The Census at Bethlehem, based on the Census of Quirinus. The Census of Quirinus is a contradictory passage of the Bible because it places the birth of Jesus after Herod's death and government. The passage is found in the Gospel of Luke and is the object of much debate.
The novelty in Pieter Bruegel's approach is that he adapted those narratives in his own time - a possible influence of Giotto, who made the same, placing Biblical motifs in Italian sceneries. The Census at Bethlehem's setting is present in almost all of Bruegel's work - a small Netherlandish village. The paint is primarily white, depicting a snow-covered view. The first point of attraction, where the eye jumps to when contemplating this skillful work, is the house at the bottom left. There, a two-story building is full of people. It's the place where the census is happening, and a red and golden sign of a double-headed eagle shows the badge of the Habsburg, who ruled the Netherlands.
While the crowd gathers, officials take notes on their registration books. A pig is being slaughtered outside the building, while another is being taken out. A bewildered child looks at the slaughtered pig as their mother tries to take her inside the building. The main subjects of the work are a little "hidden" in this complex and detailed composition: Mary and Joseph are approaching the census near the bottom-right section of the picture. Joseph is walking and has his back to the audience, while Mary rides a donkey and shows an expression of serenity. She carries baby Jesus in a yellow basket.
The Census at Bethlehem's composition is balanced. A line comes from the faraway church on the top-left, where people walk towards the square. On the other side, the packed building contrasts with the ruins and abandoned places on the top right. Right at the center, there is a single cartwheel at the intersection of both lines.
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Real Oil Paints, Real Brushes, Real Artists, Real Art. The Certificate of Authenticity which arrives with every painting provides an assurance and verifies the authenticity of the hand painted fine art reproduction you purchased. Each oil painting is created by hand using only the finest canvas and oil paints available.
Important Notes About Your Painting:
If you have any request to alter your reproduction of The Numbering at Bethlehem 1566, you must email us after placing your order and we'll have an artist contact you. If you have another image of The Numbering at Bethlehem 1566 that you would like the artist to work from, please include it as an attachment. Otherwise, we will reproduce the above image for you exactly as it is.
- Ordered without a frame, it will be delivered in protective tube within 21-28 business days.
- When ordering the painting framed - allow additional 5-7 days for delivery. The painting will arrive ready to hang.
- Every painting is painted by an experienced artist.
- No printing or digital imaging techniques are used.
- 100% hand painted oil painting on artist grade canvas.
- Painting comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
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- Hand crafted means unique to every owner. Each canvas reproduction may vary slightly in brush details due to the nature of being hand painted, so no two paintings are the same.
- For those customers who appreciate quality and want to own an artist's work as it was meant to be enjoyed we are here for you.
Free shipping is included in the price of the painting. Once the painting is ready and dry enough to ship, we will roll it and ship it in a sturdy cardboard tube.
We always ship express via courier to ensure your order reaches you as soon as possible - normally within three business days. The total delivery time from the moment you place your order until the package is delivered to your door is normally between three to four weeks.
If, in the unlikely event you were dissatisfied with the painting after reviewing it in person, it can be returned for a full refund for up to 365 days after delivery.
When you receive the painting; you are free to return it for more revisions or else for a full refund minus our actual shipping cost -- which is, on average, $35 per painting.
1st Art Gallery provides a full warranty covering manufacturing and material defects for paintings purchased from our website. The warranty covers damage for normal use. Damage caused by incidents such as accidents or inappropriate use are not covered.
Depending on the degree of damage to the warranted painting, it will either be repaired or replaced. This warranty service is provided free of charge.
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(unstreched canvas)
You may choose to purchase your painting framed, in which case, it will arrive "ready to hang". We offer more than 20 beautiful models, all hand finished and expertly assembled by our experienced framers.
Note that for safety reasons we can only frame up to a certain size. Once the maximum size is reached the framing option is automatically disabled.
If you are planning to frame your painting yourself, use an existing frame, or frame it locally, you may choose to order your painting with a stretching service, meaning that it will arrive mounted on wooden bars.
If you're considering not framing your painting at all, you may opt for a Gallery Wrap. The term Gallery Wrap refers to the way the canvas is stretched, which is by wrapping it around thick stretcher bars, about 1.5 inch thick, with the canvas being secured to the back rather than the sides of those bars.
All orders ship with UPS, FedEx or DHL and will arrive directly to your home or office. A tracking number will be emailed to you as soon as the order leaves our studio so you can track it online. All orders ship express and usually arrive within 4-5 days from the shipping date. Due to shipping restraints, many of our framed, stretched, and oversize paintings may take 6-21 days for arrival depending on the safest route determined by the postal service.
Unframed paintings are covered with a special protective film, are gently rolled and then placed inside a strong specially designed tube.
Stretched, Gallery Wrapped and Framed paintings are covered with protective bubble wrap, separated by foam board and then carefully put into the cardboard box.