The Annunciation to the Shepherds

The Annunciation to the Shepherds

Abraham de Bruyn

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Scene of the Annunciation to the Shepherds. The Archangel descends at center to four shepherds below, the one at right reclining. Surrounding this scene, a wide frame with a peacock at bottom center and another bird at top center, amongst fruit and vegetables.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Annunciation to the ShepherdsThe Annunciation to the ShepherdsThe Annunciation to the ShepherdsThe Annunciation to the ShepherdsThe Annunciation to the Shepherds

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.