{"id":403,"date":"2021-05-14T16:28:46","date_gmt":"2021-05-14T16:28:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/?page_id=403"},"modified":"2021-05-15T18:26:19","modified_gmt":"2021-05-15T18:26:19","slug":"the-angel-appearing-to-the-shepherds","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/the-angel-appearing-to-the-shepherds\/","title":{"rendered":"The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>
\n

The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

ARTIST: Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606 \u2013 1669)
DATE: 1634
TECHNIQUE: Etching<\/a>, engraving<\/a>, and drypoint<\/a>
DIMENSIONS: 26.2 x 21.8 cm
STATE<\/a>: III\/III
SIGNATURE: \u201cRembrandt. f 1634\u201d
CATALOGUE REFERENCE: New Hollstein Dutch 125-3 (6), Bartsch 44-3(3), Hollstein Dutch 44-3(3)
CREDIT LINE: Purchased with funds provided by the Walter Cerf Art Fund, the Fine Arts Acquisition Fund, and the Memorial Art Fund
PROVENANCE: Purchased from David Tunick, Inc., New York.
COLLECTOR\u2019S MARK<\/a>: Heinrich Friedrich de la Motte-Fouquet (1795-1874) (Lugt 778)
OBJECT NUMBER: 2002.012<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Rembrandt dramatizes the biblical story of the angel announcing Christ\u2019s birth by contrasting dense shadow with brilliant light. The glow that emanates from the barely outlined dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, highlights the reaction of the shepherds and their animals below. Shocked by the angel\u2019s sudden appearance in the dark night, the sheep and cattle tumble over each other, mirroring the playful chaos of the putti in the clouds. Despite the angel\u2019s reassuring gesture, the shepherds are just as frightened as their livestock and flee or fall backwards in their haste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The small scale of the herdsmen within the deep, expansive landscape emphasizes the significance of the scene. Although Rembrandt\u2019s tonal range imitates his paintings, his use of the etching needle<\/a> is more sketchy and spontaneous than many of his works done in oil paint. Rembrandt was also inspired by other media, working \u201cback to front\u201d like an engraver by finishing the dark areas of the background before developing the light sources and figures.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As is typical in his religious artworks, Rembrandt brings out the emotion behind the biblical stories, emphasizing the human and animal reactions to the angel\u2019s proclamation. To further add to the realism and relatability of the scene, Rembrandt includes local cows amongst the sheep actually mentioned in the Bible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This impression<\/a> was likely pulled from the third and final state of Rembrandt\u2019s etched plate<\/a>. In the first state, the sky and foreground are left unfinished, while the second state includes the date and artist\u2019s signature. Finally, in the third state, Rembrandt added touches of shading to the tree trunk, the central shepherd, and the wings of the angel. He also likely wiped the plate cleaner when printing the third state, transforming the inky appearance of the sky in the first state into the detailed background seen here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written by Sara Kunin, edited by Simone Edgar Holmes <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Bibliography<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ackley, Clifford S. Printmaking in the Age of Rembrandt<\/em>. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 1981. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andres, Glenn. \u201cThe Angel Appearing to the Shepherds.\u201d Middlebury College Museum of Art. <\/em>Accessed June 24, 2020. https:\/\/museumcollections-middlebury-edu.ezproxy.middlebury.edu\/objects\/218\/the-angel-appearing-to-the-shepherds?ctx=0acdf70acf4f7de4fbdeb5132dab68d8dbf083c4&idx=8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lugt, Frits. \u201cMotte-Fouquet, Heinrich Friedrich de la: L.778.\u201d Frits Lugt, Les Marques de Collections de Dessins & d\u2019Estampes. Accessed June 24, 2020. http:\/\/www.marquesdecollections.fr\/detail.cfm\/marque\/6597\/total\/1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rijksmuseum. \u201cThe Annunciation to the Shepherds, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1634.\u201d Accessed June 24, 2020. https:\/\/www.rijksmuseum.nl\/en\/collection\/RP-P-1962-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds ARTIST: Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606 \u2013 1669)DATE: 1634TECHNIQUE: Etching, engraving, and drypointDIMENSIONS: 26.2 x 21.8 cmSTATE: III\/IIISIGNATURE: \u201cRembrandt. f 1634\u201dCATALOGUE REFERENCE: New Hollstein Dutch 125-3 (6), Bartsch 44-3(3), Hollstein Dutch 44-3(3)CREDIT LINE: Purchased with funds provided by the Walter Cerf Art Fund, the Fine Arts Acquisition Fund, and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-403","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=403"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":458,"href":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/403\/revisions\/458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}