Who painted Anbetung der Hirten?

Anbetung der Hirten was painted by Richard Brakenburgh in 1698.

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.

Artwork

Anbetung der Hirten

Richard Brakenburgh , 1698

Anbetung der Hirten is an unspecified painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Richard Brakenburgh. It dates from 1698 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1698 by the Haarlem‑born painter Richard Brakenburgh, *Anbetung der Hirten* is a modestly sized religious canvas from the later phase of the Dutch Golden Age. The work portrays a nocturnal scene of shepherds gathered around the infant Jesus, rendered with a stark play of light and shadow. It is part of the permanent collection of Munich’s Alte Pinakothek.

Subject & Meaning

The composition centers on a newborn Christ placed in a simple basket, attended by a small group of shepherds whose expressions range from reverent to anxious. The celestial illumination that pours down from above suggests divine revelation, while the ethereal, translucent figures hovering in the air evoke the presence of angels announcing the birth.

Technique & Style

Brakenburgh employs a pronounced chiaroscuro effect, using a single, bright source of light to carve the figures from a deep, shadowed background. The contrast heightens the three‑dimensionality of the shepherds’ draped garments, which are rendered in a slightly antiquated fashion, and reinforces the intimate, almost theatrical atmosphere of the stable setting.

History & Provenance

Born in 1650, Brakenburgh worked his entire career in Haarlem before his death in 1702. *Anbetung der Hirten* entered the Alte Pinakothek’s holdings during the museum’s 19th‑century acquisitions of Dutch Baroque works, where it remains on display as an example of the period’s devotional genre painting.