ticketsMember | Make a donation

The Holy Family with Shepherds

1616
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 621

Working in Antwerp, the commercial center of the Spanish Netherlands, Jordaens catered to an international audience with Catholic devotional images such as this one, centered on the figure of the Virgin Mary. His earthy evocation of flesh influenced many artists, and his work was collected by both Vermeer and the court at The Hague. Despite his production of Catholic devotional images, Jordaens was taken after his death over the border into the Dutch Republic for a Protestant burial.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Holy Family with Shepherds
  • Artist: Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, Antwerp 1593–1678 Antwerp)
  • Date: 1616
  • Medium: Oil on canvas, transferred from wood
  • Dimensions: 42 x 30 in. (106.7 x 76.2 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Miss Adelaide Milton de Groot (1876-1967), 1967
  • Object Number: 67.187.76
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Study of a Young Girl Drinking from a Glass, Jacob Jordaens Flemish, Black and red chalk, heightened with white chalk, on light brown paper; framing lines in pen and brown ink
Study of a Young Girl Drinking from a Glass
Jacob Jordaens
ca. 1640–45
The Banquet of Anthony and Cleopatra, Jacob Jordaens Flemish, Pen and brown ink, watercolor, heightened with white gouache, over black chalk
The Banquet of Anthony and Cleopatra
Jacob Jordaens
17th century
Christ Healing the Paralytic, Jacob Jordaens Flemish, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash
Christ Healing the Paralytic
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1616–20
The Satyr and the Peasant
Jacob Jordaens
Lucas Vorsterman I
Adoration of the Shepherds, Jacob Jordaens Flemish, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over black chalk; framing lines in pen and black ink
Adoration of the Shepherds
Jacob Jordaens
17th century

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.