The Adoration of the Shepherds: A Night Piece

In the 1650s, Rembrandt repeatedly used etching with drypoint to create a rich emotional intensity associated with nocturnal scenes and darkened interiors. In this later interpretation of "The Adoration of the Shepherds", Rembrandt again used light to dramatize the subject, but in a manner different from his earlier work. Instead of stark light and dark contrasts, the darkness of evening envelopes the entire setting, only a central oil lamp reveals soft glimpses of the Holy Family at the bottom right. For Rembrandt, the shepherds’ visit to the stable to see the Christ child was a quiet, solemn occasion filled with the silence and tenderness that accompanies watching a newborn sleep.

Breaking tradition with grandiose depictions of this subject, the Virgin and Child’s faces are barely illuminated. In the eighth state the face of Joseph has been reworked and silhouetted bring attention back to the Virgin and Child. Allow your eyes to adjust fully to the darkness of this work. You will notice how Rembrandt was remarkably skilled in creating forms and details within a limited range of near-black tones.