Aanbidding door de herders 1591 - 1654

This engraving, titled 'Adoration of the Shepherds,' presents a scene teeming with activity and emotion. The anonymous artist uses a dense, interwoven network of lines to articulate form and texture. The eye is drawn to the lower-left, where the shepherds kneel in reverence around the infant Christ. The composition is structured around a contrast between the classical architecture in the background and the rustic figures in the foreground, destabilizing established meanings of sacred and profane, while also engaging with new ways of thinking about space and perception. Notice how the artist uses the formal element of line to delineate the figures, creating a sense of depth. This engraving uses a semiotic system of signs, from the ruined architecture signifying the old order to the humble shepherds representing the new covenant, to interpret the visual components and cultural codes which may have informed the artwork's making and reception. It invites ongoing interpretation and re-interpretation.