Annunciation to the Shepherds

Donated by Vojtěch Lanna in 1884. Netherlandish engraver and draughtsman Jan Saenredam learned the trade with Hendrick Goltzius, a master of mannerist graphic art, in Harlem, and Jacob de Gheyn in Antwerp. Saenredam and Gheyn are seen as the „finest“ engravers of the Goltzius school. Saenredam’s graphic sheets are characterized by subtle execution and a sense of elegance and refinery. Saenredam was an excellent draughtsman working by his own invention and after models by Netherlandish painters and draughtsmen. He liked to reproduce works by, among others, the painter and graphic artist A. Bloemaert, who was active in Utrecht and worked in both the mannerist and Baroque styles. The sheet is an example of mannerist graphic art, which was also represented in Lanna’s donation.