"The Nativity of Christ", A George III reverse mezzotint on glass

"The Nativity of Christ"
George III period reverse mezzotint on glass
Published by P Stampa (fl. 1798-1817)
In a contemporary Hogarth style frame 
Dimensions: 40.7cm x 30.5 cm (framed)

A scene of the Holy Family in the stable with the adoration of the shepherds, a donkey and an ox.

Text beneath the image "THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST / London ; Published Octr.10. 1800, by P. Stampa No.3, Dorrington Street, Leather Lane"

Very fine condition. The publisher advertised himself in the late 18th and early 19th Century as "Stampa & Son. Carvers, Gilders, Looking Glass & Picture-frame Manufacturers. (Wholesale & for Exportation). 74 Leather Lane, Holborn, London. Old Frames re-gilt; Plates new silver'd, Needle-work neatly fram'd & Glaz'd on the most reasonable terms. Barometers & Thermometers Made & Repair'd." [see trade card in the Heal Collection (Heal,96.18)].

The image has any number of precedents, but it seems to be loosely related to an "Adoration of the Shepherds" by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo once at Houghton Hall in Norfolk, reproduced in a mezzotint published by John Boydell in 1775 (which may be the source of the composition).