Aanbidding der herders

About this artwork

blad: hoogte 153 mm (binnen plaatrand afgesneden) x breedte 92 mm (binnen plaatrand afgesneden)

Art Historical Context

Claude Mellan's *Aanbidding der her* (Adoration of Shepherds), created between 1619 and1624, captures a timeless biblical scene from the Nativity story, where humble shepherds pay homage to the infant Christ. This intimate engraving, measuring just 153 mm high by 92 mm wide (trimmed within the plate border), exemplifies the French artist's mastery during his formative years. Mellan, a pioneering engraver influenced by the Baroque movement's emerging drama and realism, trained under Simon Vouet and later flourished in Rome, blending Italianate grandeur with precise French technique. As a coppe...

About the Artist

Claude Mellan · 1598–1688

Claude Mellan (1598-1688) was a French draughtsman, engraver, and painter who became one of the most innovative printmakers of the French Baroque period. Born in Abbeville to a family of coppersmiths, Mellan rose to become Peintre et Graveur Ordinaire du Roi (Painter and Engraver in Ordinary to the King), achieving recognition for his extraordinary technical mastery. Mellan's artistic significanc...