As told in the Gospel of Saint Luke (2:8–16), an angel announced to the shepherds the birth of the Messiah, and they went to Bethlehem to adore him. This drawing's circular format fits the theme perfectly, because it dictates that Mary and the shepherds be tightly grouped around the infant and brings an intimacy to the scene. The close relationship of the protagonists is further enhanced by the four figures in the background, who seem to have no idea of the important event that is unfolding in the immediate vicinity.

The contrast of the Virgin's sinuous, courtly beauty with the nearly caricatural depiction of the onlooking shepherds was a common visual juxtaposition in the art of the period. This delicately finished composition is signed with the artist's monogram, HG (beside fecit at lower right), and dates from about 1600 to 1605, to judge from the softness of his chalk technique.