Adoration of the Shepherds
unknown (Italian School)
Basic information
- ID
- Ж-55
- Author
- unknown (Italian School)
- Name
- Adoration of the Shepherds
- Date of creation
- 2nd half of the 17th c.
- Technique
- oil painting
- Material
- canvas oil
- Dimensions (height x width, cm)
- 84 x 104.5
Additionally
- Type
- painting
- Genre
- religious
- Provenance
- Collection of Leon Pininski
- Exposition
- Potocki Palace
Information about author
Object description
The painting illustrates a Biblical episode when shepherds came to see the Messiah. The Gospel of Luke describes how an angel visits the shepherds tending their flocks, and announces that the Saviour has been born. They go to Bethlehem and find the baby Christ lying in a manger (Luke 2:8–20). In the painting, the Virgin Mary lifts the white cloth that covers the manger to reveal the newborn Jesus. The shepherds fall to their knees in reverence. One of them respectfully removes his hat. The baby seems to emit a bright light that illuminates the scene. The light source is concealed, so it appears to radiate directly from the child, brightening the faces of everyone around. The depiction of three shepherds with animals in the background was traditional for the "Adoration of the Shepherds" composition. To create a more informal atmosphere, the artist also depicted other figures, including two women in the background and angels in the form of children observing the scene. This theme was frequently reproduced by artists in the 17th century.
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery
