The question of attribution rarely presents itself nowadays in the field of old master prints. The oeuvres of the most important printmakers are well researched and even great rarities are now, with few exceptions, firmly attributed to artists whose print production might be small but interesting. The case of the present Adoration of the Shepherds is therefore very usual: here is a print of significant size and technical and stylistic complexity which, to our knowledge, has until now remained unrecorded and may in fact be unique.
Printed on a large sheet of vellum, it depicts the Adoration of the Shepherds at night in an intense chiaroscuro. The Christ child is the main light source in the centre foreground, radiating a divine light. A shepherd has put down his bundle and is kneeling at right in front of the Virgin and Child, while a woman with her hand raised in astonishment stands just behind him. Joseph, leaning on a stick, is on the left, another man behind him peeks over his shoulder. In the middle ground towards the right edge of the scene, in half-shade, is a small group of youths. Slightly further in the background at left are two further figures, seemingly illuminated by a candle or small torch. The surroundings, presumably the interior of the stable, are shrouded in complete darkness.
The figures are mainly constituted by areas left blank or shaded in varying degrees, to stand out against a black background. Very few and usually short contour lines are used and the majority of the modelling and shading of the figures, textiles and objects, such as the staff and basket in the foreground, is achieved with a system of loose, parallel hatched lines, probably in a combination of etching and drypoint. The dark areas are seemingly made up of dense cross-hatching of varying strength and depth, although the plate tone is so rich as to make the individual lines indistinguishable in most places. The burr and rich plate tone, in combination with the smooth, non-absorbent vellum which lets the ink pool on the surface, further obscure the printed texture.
All this is done quite freely and confidently, although - one feels – by an artist with more experimental flair and courage than conventional knowledge of the etching technique. In any case, the effect of partially illuminated figures in a dark space is convincingly realised, and the wonder and adoration of the figures surrounding the child shining in the dark is moving and very lively.
On the reverse, the sheet is inscribed twice in pencil with the name Honthorst Gherardo and Honthorst, respectively. These attributions, presumably both made in the late 19th or early 20th century, are quite plausible as far as the motif and manner of the print are concerned. In his early years, Gerrit van Honthorst, born in Utrecht in 1592, worked in Rome, presumably between 1610-20. The earliest firm record of his presence there falls into the year 1616, although there has been speculation whether he might have still met Caravaggio, who died in 1610, shortly after his arrival. The young Honthorst was unquestionably, deeply influenced by Caravaggio’s paintings, their intense chiaroscuro and striking light effects, as well as the ‘realism’ of his figures. Honthorst’s own paintings of his Roman period are mostly night scenes or dark interiors illuminated by artificial or supernatural light sources within the picture plane, which earned him the sobriquet ‘Gherardo delle Notti’. Two paintings are of particular relevance in this context: an Adoration of the Shepherds at the Uffizi in Florence (inv. no. 1890, n. 772) of circa 1617-20 (badly damaged in a criminal attack in 1993); and another of the same subject in the village of Spilamberto (Parrocchia di San Giovanni) near Modena. Both paintings, one in an upright, the other in a horizontal format, depict the scene of the adoration at night, each with groups of figures arranged very similarly around the child, and with other figures in the middle ground on the sides. The correspondences in overall composition, the handling of the light and the figure types are evident; the most obvious difference being the absence of the jubilant putti in the print.
What makes the attribution of the etching to Gerrit van Honthorst so problematic is however the fact that in the past, according to Nagler (II, 3039 & 3056), Wurzbach (I, p. 709) and Hollstein, only three prints have been given to the painter: Abraham’s Sacrifice, a Banquet of Neptune and a Mountainous Landscape. All three seem to have survived in one impression only. The first two appear in Weigel’s sale catalogues of 1847 and 1852, respectively (nos. 16,628 and 19,031), the third was offered in Weigel’s sale of the Friedländer collection. All three were bought by Friedrich August II, and then sold at C.G. Boerner in November 1933 and bought by Johan Bierens de Haan, who left them to the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, where they still are. Beside the fact that they bear no resemblance – in content, style or technique – with our etching, their attribution to Honthorst has been doubtful, and recently been rejected by Liesbeth Helmus, who also does not accept the presented Adoration as a work by the artist.
The style of the print, but also of the two sketches on the reverse of a woman in a dress and what appears to be a seated Virgin and Child, strongly suggest a dating of the sheet to the 17th century. While the drawings verso are probably Italian, the origin of the print itself is more uncertain, although a Netherlandish influence is undeniable. The provenance is of little help, since we only know that the print was acquired during the 19th century, probably in Rome, by Dr Alexander Grant, rector of the Scots College.
This leaves us with the dilemma that the etching most closely resembles the works of an artist who is not known to have made any prints, and that we are not aware of any printmaker to have worked in this manner around this time, neither in Italy or the Netherlands. The fact that it is printed on vellum alone suggests an artist-printmaker with ambition and confidence. The riddle who could have created this intriguing and highly atmospheric etching is perhaps one for the future owner to solve and to publish, as in our view it deserves some further investigation.
We are grateful to Dr Liesbeth M. Helmus, Dr Huigen Leeflang and Dr Peter van der Coelen for their valuable opinion on this print and for sharing additional information and images.
The Pontifical Scots College in Rome (‘Pontificio Collegio Scozzese’) was founded on 5 December 1600 by Pope Clement VIII. In its initial years, the College provided an education for young Scottish Catholic men who, due to the laws against Catholics, could not receive a Catholic education at home. Inspired by St John Ogilvie, the sixteen students studying at the College vowed on 10 March 1616, one year to the day after his martyrdom, to return to Scotland as priests; thus the College became a seminary and has been preparing men for the priesthood and for service in the Church's mission in Scotland ever since.
At first the College was situated in a little house on what is known today as Via del Tritone, opposite the church of Santa Maria in Costantinopoli, but as early as 1604 was transferred to Via Felice, now called Via delle Quattro Fontane, and there it remained until 1962. Two years later, the College moved into purpose-built, modern premises on the outskirts of Rome, on Via Cassia. The building was closed in 2023 and the College is temporarily residing at the Pontifical Beda College.
It was through Dr Alexander Grant, rector of the College from 1846-1878, that a collection of prints came into the College’s possession. A substantial part of the holdings, including many of the most notable works, were sold in the late 1960s. The present selection is being offered for sale to commission a contemporary work of art, once a new and permanent home for the seminary has been found, to commemorate this significant moment in the history of the Scots College in Rome, a history that spans from 1600 to the present day.
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