Rembrandt's Adoration of the Shepherds

July 15

In his painting "The Adoration of the Shepherds," Rembrandt portrays the subject as a domestic scene. It is both informal and reverent with classic Rembrandt lighting styles creating intimacy. A group of bystanders stand nearby, but the light seems to emanate stronger from the Christ Child than the lamp held by a shepherd. As “The Light of the World”, the future Savior is central to the picture. In low light it is possible to make out a number of details, including a boy playing with a dog on the right and the cross formed by the beams in the rafters. Painted in 1646, it is one of a series of the life of Christ created for Prince Frederik Hendrik of Orange. It currently hangs in the National Gallery in London.

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born on July 15, 1606.