QUELLINUS, Erasmus II
(b. 1607, Antwerpen, d. 1678, Antwerpen)

Adoration of the Shepherds

1652
Oil on canvas, 60 x 82 cm
Alte Pinakothek, Munich

In spite of working closely with Rubens in the 1630s, Quellinus displays a personal style in which his preference for strong, pronouncedly plastic figures is evident. This plasticity was achieved particularly by means of his treatment of light. It is quite possible that in this he was influenced by Caravaggism which was of great significance in Antwerp from the 1620s onward.