Art Institute of Chicago

The Adoration of the Shepherds

Gerrit van Battem

Date

late 1650s

Medium

White and gray opaque watercolor and black ink on cream laid paper prepared with brown wash

Culture

Netherlands

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

By preparing his paper with a dark-brown wash to which a white oil-based pigment was added, Gerrit van Battem achieved the strong and meaningful effect of light-dark contrast. In this Adoration scene Battem emphasized the wonder of the shepherds who come to greet the Christ child. Despite the scene’s nocturnal setting, so dark that the cow’s head in the background is barely visible, the divinity of the Christ child shines with an abundant brightness that causes the shepherds to raise their hands in amazement.

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