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Gerard van Honthorst, Adoration of the Child, c. 1619–20
In Honthorst's night scene there is no lamp and no candle. All the light in the picture comes from the child. A few lines further on John puts it in words: “light is come into the world” (John 3:19).
Honthorst came from Utrecht and worked in Rome for about ten years. The Italians called him Gherardo delle Notti, Gerard of the nights, because of pictures like this one.
The child is the only source of light. Mary lifts the cloth as if she were uncovering a lamp.
Joseph stands behind Mary, almost swallowed by the dark. The light reaches him last.
