Adoration of the Shepherds
Medium
pen and brown ink, gray wash on brown paper, squared in red chalk
Dimensions
6 7/8 x 6 3/16 in. (17.4 x 15.7 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Harry G. Sperling, 1971
Accession Number
1975.131.137
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the bustling artistic workshops of 16th-century, this delicate drawing captures the timeless biblical scene of the *Adoration of the Shepherd*. Attributed to Joachim Beuckelaer and Pieter Aertsen—two masters of the Northern Mannerist style known for blending everyday genre scenes with sacred narratives—the work depicts humble shepherds, women, and donkeys gathered around the infant Jesus. Created around 1560, it the enduring Catholic devotion in the Spanish Netherlands amid the Reformation's tensions, where such Nativity subjects offered spiritual solace. Executed in pen and brown ink with...