Karl Johns

The Jesuits, the Creche and Hans von Aachen in Prague

In Rudolf's time, the motif of The Adoration of the Shepherds appears concurrently in two genres. On one hand, it was a common theme of the work of court artists. Among them, Aachen's composition of The Adoration of the Shepherds, painted for the Jesuit church Il Gesu, played a key role and became a model for artistic reproduction. On the other hand, the motif appears in Christmas creches, which were apparently introduced to Prague by one of the Jesuit priests in 1562. The sudden appearance and popularity of the kneeling of shepherds motif in a mannerist and folkloric setting shows the strong influence of Catholic groups, particularly the Jesuit order.

< back