Flemish School Of The XVIIᵉ Century, After Rubens - The Adoration Of The Shepherds - Oil On Panel

56 × 43 cm with view and 79 × 56.5 cm with frame.

Oak panel, two boards, not parqueted.
On the reverse, mark of Antwerp and of the panellist Petere de Noble (active in Antwerp 1604-1632).
Painting after Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640).

Nativity scene and Adoration of the shepherds. Before the infant Jesus, the divine Lamb with bound feet announces the sacrifice to come. The dead birds are a reminder of man's sinfulness.The Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph on the left present the infant Jesus to the shepherds on the right. One of the shepherdesses holds out an egg to the infant Jesus, a symbol of resurrection in ancient depictions.

In the background, a reminder refers to the biblical passage in which the angel awakens the shepherds to announce the birth of Christ.
The angels hold a banner in the sky, bearing the words Gloria in excelsis Deo.

This scene is rich in details that hint at Christ's death and resurrection.
This interpretation comes from the Church Fathers, notably Saint Augustine (354-430) and Saint John Chrysostom (347-407), who interpreted the Nativity as the beginning of Jesus' redemptive mission, leading to his Passion, death and resurrection.