In style the Hlohovec Nativity relief displays the sculptural influence of the Upper Rhine. It is a treatment of the Nativity theme known as the Adoration of the Virgin, in which the Virgin Mary kneels with clasped hands before the infant. The child rests on drapery held by angels. The composition reflects the medieval hierarchy of the figures depicted. As art it is notable for its elegant and refined form and deeply lyrical rendering, and is in accomplishment the equal of any late-Gothic sculpture produced in Europe in the last third of the 15.th century. The relief was located in an...