Aanbidding der herders in een nis 1560 - 1600

This is Johann Sadeler’s engraving of the Adoration of the Shepherds, an image made sometime between 1570 and 1600, and now held at the Rijksmuseum. Sadeler, based in the Netherlands, circulated prints like this one throughout Europe, disseminating the artistic styles and religious ideas of his time. Here, we see the holy family in a humble setting, surrounded by shepherds who have come to worship the newborn Christ. Consider the politics of imagery in 16th-century Europe, a time marked by the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation. The Catholic Church used art as a powerful tool to reinforce its doctrines. Images of the Nativity emphasized the humanity of Christ, and the importance of humility and devotion. To understand this work better, we can draw on a range of historical sources, from theological treatises to economic data. By exploring the social and institutional contexts in which art is made, we gain a deeper understanding of its enduring power and significance.