The Adoration of the Christ Child was painted circa 1619-1621 by the Dutch artist Gerard van Honthorst. It shows Mary and Joseph, as well as two angels, looking over newborn Christ. The light reflects off the faces of the onlookers, suggesting that the infant is the light source in this painting. Van Honthorst, who came to Italy at the beginning of the 17th century to learn from Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro technique, interplayed light and dark in many of his paintings. During his time in Italy, he was nicknamed Gherardo delle Notti or “Gerard of the Night” because of his skill at this technique.