Adoration of the Shepherds
unknown
Basic information
- ID
- Ж-676
- Author
- unknown
- Name
- Adoration of the Shepherds
- Date of creation
- 1st half of the 17th c.
- Technique
- oil painting
- Material
- duplicated canvas oil
- Dimensions (height x width, cm)
- 36.2 x 29.2
Additionally
- Type
- painting
- Genre
- religious
- Provenance
- Collection of Lviv City Gallery
- Exposition
- Potocki Palace
Information about author
Inscriptions
The multi-figure painting depicts a classic Gospel scene – the Adoration of the Shepherds to the newborn Jesus Christ. The work's dynamic composition and colouring indicate that it belongs to the Baroque or Late Mannerist period (16th–17th centuries).
The composition is clearly divided into two tiers: the lower, earthly realm, and the upper, heavenly one. The link connecting these two worlds is the Holy Family depicted in the centre: the Virgin Mary, the Infant Jesus in the manger, and the grey-bearded Saint Joseph, next to whom the silhouettes of an ox and a donkey are visible.
From the left, three shepherds reverently approach the manger, bringing a small lamb as a gift to Jesus – a symbol of Christ, the Lamb of God. On the right, in the foreground, a woman in a bright red dress half-reclines on the ground. In her hands, she holds a basket with a pair of white doves, which traditionally symbolise the purity of the Madonna in Christian iconography.
Next to the Mother of God stand two women who have come to look at the Infant. In the background is a man with a dog.
In the upper part of the canvas, seven angels in light, multi-coloured robes are depicted in a divine glow among billowing clouds. The two central angels hold an unfurled white ribbon with the Latin inscription: "Gloria in altissimis Deo..." ("Glory to God in the highest"). This is the first line of the Christian hymn, which is part of the Mass of the Latin Rite churches. It is believed that this very angelic song echoed from heaven during the adoration of the shepherds.
The composition is clearly divided into two tiers: the lower, earthly realm, and the upper, heavenly one. The link connecting these two worlds is the Holy Family depicted in the centre: the Virgin Mary, the Infant Jesus in the manger, and the grey-bearded Saint Joseph, next to whom the silhouettes of an ox and a donkey are visible.
From the left, three shepherds reverently approach the manger, bringing a small lamb as a gift to Jesus – a symbol of Christ, the Lamb of God. On the right, in the foreground, a woman in a bright red dress half-reclines on the ground. In her hands, she holds a basket with a pair of white doves, which traditionally symbolise the purity of the Madonna in Christian iconography.
Next to the Mother of God stand two women who have come to look at the Infant. In the background is a man with a dog.
In the upper part of the canvas, seven angels in light, multi-coloured robes are depicted in a divine glow among billowing clouds. The two central angels hold an unfurled white ribbon with the Latin inscription: "Gloria in altissimis Deo..." ("Glory to God in the highest"). This is the first line of the Christian hymn, which is part of the Mass of the Latin Rite churches. It is believed that this very angelic song echoed from heaven during the adoration of the shepherds.
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery
