Artwork
Anbetung der Hirten
Anbetung der Hirten is an unspecified painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Erasmus Quellinus II. It dates from 1642 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
This subject draws from Nativity traditions where shepherds witness the birth of Christ, symbolizing Gentile recognition of divine revelation.
The painting shows the adoration of the shepherds, depicting the infant Christ Child surrounded by shepherds in a devotional scene. This subject draws from Nativity traditions where shepherds witness the birth of Christ, symbolizing Gentile recognition of divine revelation. The composition emphasizes humble adoration within a sacred narrative context.
The work belongs to the religious art genre, reflecting Counter-Reformation themes of devotional imagery designed to inspire contemplative engagement with biblical stories. Its depiction aligns with common iconographic conventions of 17th-century Flemish religious painting.
Measured at 34.3 cm in height and 25.2 cm in width, the small-scale canvas format supports intimate devotional viewing within a private collection setting.
Technique & Style
Anbetung der Hirten is a small-scale religious painting by Erasmus Quellinus II, with a modest format measuring 34.3 cm in height by 25.2 cm in width. Classified as a painting and depicting the adoration of the shepherds, the work belongs to the category of religious art and centers on the Christ Child as its main subject. The compact dimensions are consistent with an intimate devotional panel or cabinet picture rather than a large altarpiece, a format favored for private contemplation in the mid-seventeenth century.
Beyond these basic parameters, the available sources do not specify the medium, support, pigment, or stylistic handling of the work, nor do they address its present condition.
History & Provenance
The painting Anbetung der Hirten was created in 1642 by Erasmus Quellinus II, as recorded by both internal documentation and the work’s Wikidata entry.
It is now held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is located at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. The work depicts the adoration of the shepherds and measures 34.3 cm in height by 25.2 cm in width.
The painting is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is located at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. It is inventoried as 1245, with dimensions recorded as 34.3 cm in height and 25.2 cm in width.
The work has been exhibited at the Alte Pinakothek as part of its permanent holdings, with no further exhibition history detailed in the cited sources.
Overview
Anbetung der Hirten is a 1642 Flemish Baroque painting by Erasmus Quellinus II, depicting a scene from Christian tradition. It is held in the Alte Pinakothek collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Erasmus Quellinus the Younger or Erasmus Quellinus II (November 19, 1607 – November 11, 1678) was a Flemish painter, engraver, draughtsman and tapestry designer who worked in various genres including history, portrait, allegorical, battle…
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