The Adoration of the Shepherds, Rembrandt van Rijn, c. 1657
etching, engraving and drypoint with plate tone, printed on Chinese paper, h 149mm × w 198mm More details
After the annunciation, the shepherds travel to Bethlehem and find Jesus with his parents in a stable. Rembrandt could not have depicted this scene any darker or stiller. The lantern of the arriving shepherds casts light on the Virgin, who has fallen asleep. Joseph sits reading by his own lamplight and looks up in surprise.
