The Adoration of the Shepherds

The first in a series of six plates illustrating the childhood of Christ, Rembrandt’s The Adoration of the Shepherds accentuates the humanity and simplicity behind the significant religious scene. Through his attempt to realistically depict the gathering of shepherds around the Virgin Mary, Joseph, and their newborn son, Rembrandt conveys the emotional authenticity of the biblical characters. He includes distinguishing details, such as the herdsman who brought his bagpipe, and the child who peeks out from under his father’s protective arm. 

The light from the single candle casts the Virgin Mary in an even glow, created through the use of unmarked, negative space between a sparse outline of her form. In contrast, Joseph stands at her side in shadow, only his nose and beard exempt from the loose, parallel lines that darken his back. The cows and ox in the rear of the stable are more defined, with crosshatching filling in the darkness and short, scratched lines forming their curved horns and delicate eyes.

This impression represents a late printing of the second of three states. The curved white strip along the upper border where the acid failed to bite the plate in the first state is worked over with a burin, and the left side is generally darker in tone. In the third state, the white spots faintly visible above the cow’s left ear in this impression are also shaded over.

Written by Nate Eazor, edited by Simone Edgar Holmes

Bibliography

Hind, Arthur. A Catalogue of Rembrandt’s Etchings. Volumes 1-2. Boston: Da Capo Press, 1967.

Stocker, Mark. “The Adoration of the Shepherds: With the Lamp.” Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. July 2017. https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/40845.