Cornelis de Baellieur I (1607-1671), attributed to

The Adoration of the Shepherds

This painting depicts one of the scenes at the birth of Christ. In the centre we see Mary, who displays her newborn son to the assembled shepherds and villagers, who have fallen to their knees in prayer at the sight of the child amidst the ruins of a building. The infant Jesus lies upon a white sheet in a hay-filled manger. In the background we see some early activity in the town of Jerusalem at daybreak.

Not much is known about Cornelis de Baellieur. He was born in Antwerp in 1607, the son of an art dealer, and died there in 1671. During his life, he must have been a well-known and respected painter: his appointment as dean of Antwerp’s Guild of Saint Luke in 1626 certainly suggests as much. Cornelis had a son in 1642, who inherited his father’s name as well as his profession.

De Baellieur is known to have produced a number of formidable paintings, currently in the possession of various art galleries. However, the lion’s share of his oeuvre consists of small paintings of Biblical scenes, primarily relating to the life of Christ. De Baellieur painted the adoration of the shepherds several times, in various sizes; a similar but slightly smaller painting was sold at Tajan auction house in Paris on 21 June 2010.