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The Adoration of the Shepherds, 1888

  • soft-ground etchings (process), paper
  • 157 x 113 mm
  • Inv. 1998-B-58

Public Domain

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Ensor conceived "The Adoration of the Shepherds" entirely in the spirit of the old masters he admired, such as Peter Paul Rubens and Rembrandt. The references are more general: the centre of light around the child and the location of the scene in the wooden structure can be compared, for example, with Rembrandt's "The Adoration of the Shepherds" (London, National Gallery). Ensor's print is a free adaptation of the chalk drawing of the same name from 1886 (Brussels, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, inv. 4192). In the print, the artist surrounds the scene with samples of Flemish realism and Ensorian satire.

Artist

James Ensor RKD VIAF Wikidata
Ostend 1860 - Ostend 1949
etchersAAT

Title The Adoration of the Shepherds
Date 1888
Period 19th century
Medium and support soft-ground etchings (process) AAT
Signatures, inscriptions, and markings signature and year bottom left: ENSOR / 1888
signature and year bottom right: James Ensor 1888
inscription bottom left: 1e etat
inscription on the reverse: AT
inscription on the reverse: L'adoration des bergers vernis mou / D.58
Collection print room
Object type soft-ground etchings (process) AAT
Inventory number 1998-B-58
Acquisition credit purchase
Taevernier, Auguste (coll.)
1998
Current whereabouts Work currently not on display
Permalink https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/1998-B-58
IIIF Manifest https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/4072/manifest.json
Art & Architecture Thesaurus 300055874 religious symbolism AAT
Keywords Iconclass 11D Christ Iconclass
11F the Virgin Mary Iconclass
11H(JOSEPH) the foster-father of Christ, Joseph of Nazareth, husband of Mary; possible attributes: flowering rod or wand, lily, carpenter's tools Iconclass
48C8547 satyr play, farce Iconclass
52A4 Imagination; 'Imaginatione' (Ripa) Iconclass
52A44 Fantasy, Caprice; 'Capriccio' (Ripa) Iconclass
73 New Testament Iconclass
73B25 adoration of the Christ-child by the shepherds; Mary and Joseph present Iconclass
School / Style phantasy
satire (artistic device) AAT
Henri Leys, Henri de Braekeleer, James Ensor / Loys Delteil. - Paris : Chez l'Auteur, 1925 (nr. 58)
James Ensor : Catalogue illustré de ses gravures ; Leur description critique et l'inventaire des plaques = Geïllustreerde catalogus van zijn gravures ; Hun kritische beschrijving en inventaris van de platen = Illustrated catalogue of his engravings ; Their critical description and inventary of the plates / Auguste Taevernier. - Ledeberg (Gent) : Erasmus Boekhandel bv Amsterdam, 1973 (nr. 58)
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