Aanbidding der herders

This print, the "Adoration of the Shepherds," was made by Crispijn van den Queborn in the Netherlands sometime in the early to mid-17th century. Queborn was one of a large group of Netherlandish artists making prints for an expanding market of collectors. The image shows the infant Christ surrounded by Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and angels. Its biblical scene suggests not only the sacredness of motherhood, but also the power of the church itself to shape the culture. The print's success depended on the existing cultural and religious conditions. What we see is an established iconography, designed to reflect the social structures of the artist’s time. We see how the church used images to cement its ideas about family, divinity, and earthly order. As art historians, we must use all available resources to understand how art is a product of specific social and institutional structures.