Adoration of the Shepherds 1617

Jacob Jordaens painted this oil on canvas, Adoration of the Shepherds, sometime in the 17th century. Jordaens worked in Antwerp, a cosmopolitan port city in the Spanish Netherlands, and this painting shows us how art could be used to bridge social divides. In a departure from earlier Renaissance traditions, Jordaens depicts the shepherds not as idealized figures, but as ordinary, working-class people. Look at their weathered faces, their simple clothes, and the gifts they bring – humble offerings of the earth. By giving the shepherds such prominence, Jordaens seems to be saying that everyone is welcome at the manger, regardless of their social status. To understand the painting more deeply, we might turn to archival records to learn about the social and economic conditions in Antwerp at the time. We might also look at religious texts and sermons to see how the story of the Nativity was being interpreted and used by different groups within the city. Ultimately, a painting like this reminds us that art is not just about aesthetics, but also about the complex ways in which people make meaning and negotiate their place in the world.