Howard, Frank: The sketcher's manual: or, the whole art of picture making reduced to the simplest principles by which amateurs may instruct themselves without the aid of a master (London, 1841)

Section III.

rembkaxdt's principle.

Another simple arrangement is to be found
in Rembrandt's Adoration of tbe Shepherds in
the National Gallery. A small point of very
brilliant light is suddenly graduated into a
profound depth of shadow (Plate IV, fig. 1).

Though called a point of light, to make the
principle more definite, it may be composed of
several objects so combined as to form a group
of light objects, or a small mass of light. And
the brilliancy of the light may be forced by
the opposition of the extreme dark placed close
to it, as is the case in the picture by Rembrandt,
where the dark figure of one of the Shepherds
is placed close to the most brilliant part of the
light.

The example given is purposely varied from
the precise effect of the picture, out of which the