Aanbidding der herders after 1620

Peter Paul Reubens created this drawing titled ‘Adoration of the Shepherds’ using pen in brown, brush in brown, red chalk, and heightened in white. The religious scene depicts poor, working-class shepherds who have come to worship the newborn Christ. This imagery would have had a strong emotional and political resonance, given the significant divide between the rich and the poor in 17th-century Flanders. Rubens was active in a time of great religious and social upheaval; his work often navigates the complexities of faith, power, and human experience. Notice how Rubens departs from traditional portrayals of biblical figures. Mary is depicted not as an ethereal being but as an ordinary woman, and the shepherds are common laborers, their faces etched with the hardships of daily life. It is a powerful statement about the universality of faith. Rubens masterfully uses light and shadow to intensify the scene's emotional depth. The vulnerability and humanity presented here invite us to reflect on the broader themes of social justice.