The adoration of the shepherds
Jan Havicksz. Steen
1660 - 1679
Jan Steen (1626 - 1679). The Adoration of the shepherds, c. 1660.Tenderly Mary shows the newborn baby Jesus to the shepherds. They have come to the stable in great numbers, bearing all sorts of gifts. They gaze in reverence at the radiant child in the manger. The stable, in which an ox and a donkey occupy a prominent place, is shrouded in darkness. But outside, the dawn is nigh, a reference to the era heralded by the birth of Jesus. Jan Steen has transformed this biblical tale into an eminently human event.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam · Image: Rijksmuseum, Public domain · Text: Rijksmuseum (adapted), CC0