Studies for an Adoration of the Shepherds early 17th century Adriaen Brouwer Flemish Although no such picture by his hand survives, Brouwer, on this working sheet, explored solutions for an Adoration of the Shepherds. Lively figure studies in black chalk, some of them reworked in pen and ink, cover the page. Occupying the middle part of the sheet is a rendering of the entire figural group. At its center is the Christ Child; his profile is summarily indicated with a few quick pen strokes, which overlap with two diagonal linesthe leg of one of the shepherdsand two horizontal strokesthe top of the cradle. Gazing down at the infant are three crouching figures, one of whom holds a staff and a candle. Two other heads, left only roughly indicated in black chalk, appear to the left of this trio. Below them, another man kneels before the cradle, his right hand raised in a gesture of awe. To his left, the bulky form of an ox can be discerned. At lower right, Brouwer drew two additional versio