The Adoration of the Shepherds, Jacob Jordaens
Jacob Jordaens
The Adoration of the Shepherds
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Jacob Jordaens

The Adoration of the Shepherds


Dimensions
71.5 x 92.7 cm
width (lower)
92.4 cm
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Inventory Number
143
Acquisition
Acquired in 1816 with the founder’s bequest
Status
On display, 2nd upper level, Old Masters, room 1

Texts

About the Acquisition

In March 1815, the Frankfurt businessman and banker Johann Friedrich Städel bequeathed his entire fortune and art collection to a foundation which was to be named after him: the 'Städelsches Kunstinstitut'. However, he also dedicated the foundation to the citizens of Frankfurt immaterially, wishing it to be an "adornment and of practical use" to Frankfurt's citizenry. He was thus the first ordinary citizen in the German-speaking region to found a public art museum: the present-day Städel Museum. When he died, his collection comprised 476 paintings, some 4,600 drawings, almost 10,000 printed graphics and valuable books.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
The Adoration of the Shepherds
Painter
Period Produced
School
Object Type
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Material
Technique
Label at the Time of Manufacture
Signiert und datiert unten links: J. JOR. fec 1653

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Departement
Collection
Creditline
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Picture Copyright
Public Domain
Acquisition
Acquired in 1816 with the founder’s bequest

Work Content

Motifs and References

Iconclass

Primary
  • 73B25 adoration of the Christ-child by the shepherds; Mary and Joseph present
  • 42A3 mother and baby or young child
  • 31AA233(+2) kneeling figure - AA - female human figure (+ back view)
  • 31D12 youth, adolescent
  • 31D17 old woman
  • 11G191 angel(s) represented as child(ren)
Secondary
  • 73B281 the ox and the ass at the manger ~ Christ's birth
  • 34B2333 ducks (domestic waterbirds)
  • 47I213 sheep
  • 41A7751 container made of plant material other than wood: basket
  • 41C345 bowl
  • 41C326 jar, jug (used as drinking-vessel)
  • 48C73512 clarinet, bassoon, oboe, shawm

Research and Discussion

Provenance

Object History
...
vermutlich Jacques Lenglier, Paris
vermutlich Verst. Peter Adolphe Hall u.a. [Teil: Lenglier], Paris (Guilleaumon), 15.-22. (17.) November 1779 (Nr. 58) an Pierre-François Basan (1723-1797)
...
Verst. M.***, Paris (Lebrun), 23. März 1784 (Nr. 8)
...
Johann Friedrich Städel (1728-1816), Frankfurt am Main
Nachlass Johann Friedrich Städel, Frankfurt am Main, 1816.

Information

Since 2001, the Städel Museum has systematically been researching the provenance of all objects that were acquired during the National Socialist period, or that changed owners or could have changed owners during those years. The basis for this research is the “Washington Declaration”, also known as the “Washington Conference Principles”, formulated at the 1998 “Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets” and the subsequent “Joint Declaration”.

The provenance information is based on the sources researched at the time they were published digitally. However, this information can change at any time when new sources are discovered. Provenance research is therefore a continuous process and one that is updated at regular intervals.

Ideally, the provenance information documents an object’s origins from the time it was created until the date when it found its way into the collection. It contains the following details, provided they are known:

  • the type of acquisition and/or the way the object changed hands
  • the owner's name and place of residence
  • the date on which it changed hands

The successive ownership records are separated from each other by a semicolon.

Gaps in the record of a provenance are indicated by the placeholder “…”. Unsupported information is listed in square brackets.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact the museum at .

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Last update

13.03.2024