Adoration of the Shepherds 1620 - 1674

"Adoration of the Shepherds" is an etching by Dutch artist Jan Lievens, dating from between 1620 and 1674. This work, housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, depicts the biblical scene of shepherds arriving to adore the newborn Christ child. Lievens's dynamic, sketchy style, characterized by expressive lines and hatched shading, captures the awe and wonder of the event. The composition is tightly cropped, focusing on the figures and their interactions, while the background is rendered with a loose, gestural approach.