The Adoration of the Shepherds
Master H.E.
c. 1520
Medium
Engraving on paper
Dimensions
30.7 × 22.8 cm (12 1/8 × 9 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
4325
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Still unidentified by name, the 16th-century artist known as Master H. E. signed his curiously themed prints with an H. E. monogram. The Master H. E.’s Adoration of the Shepherds is an unusually windblown and eerie envisioning of the scene, set in an architectural framework more reminiscent of a ruined temple than a stable. The awestruck shepherds, the restless farm animals, and the harsh sun work together to suggest that the prints’ viewers as well are witnessing a momentous historical event, o...