Who painted Anbetung der Hirten?

Anbetung der Hirten was painted by Cornelis Saftleven in 1642.

Where can I see Anbetung der Hirten?

Anbetung der Hirten is held by Bavarian State Painting Collections.

What movement is Anbetung der Hirten?

Anbetung der Hirten is associated with Dutch Golden Age.

Anbetung der Hirten by Cornelis Saftleven (1642)

About this work

Subject & Meaning

This scene draws on traditional iconography of the Nativity, emphasizing humility and divine revelation through the presence of ordinary laborers.

The painting shows the adoration of the shepherds, depicting the infant Christ Child surrounded by shepherds in a moment of reverent attention. This scene draws on traditional iconography of the Nativity, emphasizing humility and divine revelation through the presence of ordinary laborers. The composition underscores spiritual themes of recognition and devotion, reflecting religious art practices of the Dutch Golden Age.

The work is part of the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is housed in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.

Technique & Style

Anbetung der Hirten is classified as a painting, executed on a support measuring 67.3 cm in height by 100.3 cm in width. The work is a religious composition by Cornelis Saftleven, dated 1642, depicting the adoration of the shepherds with the Christ Child as a depicted element. It belongs to the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is held at the Alte Pinakothek. No further details regarding medium, technique, condition, or stylistic handling are documented in the available sources.

History & Provenance

Anbetung der Hirten is a 1642 religious painting by Cornelis Saftleven depicting the adoration of the shepherds, showing a Christ Child. The work entered the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections and remains on display at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.

The painting was created in 1642 as part of Saftleven's religious output and was acquired directly by the Bavarian State Painting Collections, where it has been housed since its acquisition.

Anbetung der Hirten by Cornelis Saftleven is held in the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is on view at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available documentation.

No exhibition history beyond its placement in the Alte Pinakothek collection is documented in the sources provided.

Legacy

Anbetung der Hirten by Cornelis Saftleven, painted in 1642, entered the Bavarian State Painting Collections and was installed in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, where it remains part of the permanent display. The work’s devotional subject, the adoration of the shepherds, aligns with Counter-Reformation emphases on the humanity of Christ, reinforcing its significance within Dutch Golden Age religious painting. Although specific exhibition histories or scholarly assessments of its influence are not detailed in the available records, the painting’s continued presence in a major state collection underscores its recognized cultural and artistic value.

Overview

Cornelis Saftleven, a Dutch painter of the 17th‑century Golden Age, completed the work titled Anbetung der Hirten in 1642. The oil painting, now part of the Alte Pinakothek collection, portrays a nocturnal Nativity scene in which the infant Christ is the focal point, surrounded by a small group of shepherds.

Context

Saftleven’s Nativity belongs to a broader tradition of Dutch religious art that balanced devotional content with the period’s naturalistic detail. While he is better known for pastoral and genre subjects, this work demonstrates his ability to handle biblical themes within the visual language of the Golden Age.

En rejsende til hest ved nattetid, Unknown

Artist & collection

Artist

Cornelis Saftleven

Cornelis Saftleven (c. 1607 in Gorinchem – 1 June 1681 in Rotterdam) was a Dutch painter who worked in a great variety of genres. Known in particular for his rural genre scenes, his range of subjects was very wide and…