The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds

Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)

1634 · Etching and drypoint; third state of three · Drawings and Prints

Here, Rembrandt shows how the herdsmen in Luke 2:8–20 were confronted in the middle of the night by a large winged angel, lit by the glory of God, who came to tell of the birth of Christ. This work presents Rembrandt’s visualization of the scene, in which the serene angel radiates calm and blessing in the clouds, while on the ground the beasts scatter in total panic and the herdsmen recoil in terror. To create this etching, Rembrandt worked from the dark areas into the light of the foreground. Although he had painted night scenes before, this was his first attempt at duplicating the effects in etching.

Artist

Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)

Date

1634

Medium

Etching and drypoint; third state of three

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

The Sylmaris Collection, Gift of George Coe Graves, 1920