Italian, Neapolitan, 'The Adoration of the Shepherds', probably 1630s
About the work
Overview
The Virgin Mary gently lifts her newborn son while Saint Joseph, leaning on his staff, looks tenderly at the Christ Child. They are surrounded by figures including two shepherds who join their hands in adoration, while others offer poultry and lambs as gifts. Two bound lambs are strategically placed in front of Christ, alluding to his future sacrifice on the Cross.
The Virgin and Child are brightly illuminated from the left while the rest of the figures crowding around them are partly in shadow. In the background, the shepherds are shown in an earlier episode in which an angel announces the birth of Christ to them.
When this painting was acquired by the National Gallery it was thought to be by Velázquez. It has also been attributed to other Spanish and Neapolitan artists including Murillo, Ribera and Zurbarán. It is still not certain who painted it but it was most likely a prominent Spanish artist as several copies survive in Spain.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- The Adoration of the Shepherds
- Artist
- Italian, Neapolitan
- Date made
- probably 1630s
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 228 × 164.5 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bought, 1853
- Inventory number
- NG232
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Neil MacLaren, revised by Allan Braham, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Spanish School’, London 1988; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1838Musée du Louvre, Notice des tableaux de la galerie espagnole exposés dans les salles du Musée royal au Louvre, Paris 1838
-
1853Christie, Manson & Woods, Catalogue of the First Portion of the Pictures Forming the Celebrated Spanish Gallery of His Majesty the Late King Louis Philippe, London, 6 May 1853 - 7 May 1853
-
1864W. Bürger, Galerie de Mm. Pereire, Paris 1864
-
1898A. de Beruete y Moret, Velázquez, Paris 1898
-
1907A.F. Calvert, Murillo: A Biography and Appreciation, London 1907
-
1908H.F. Cook, 'Pacheco, the Master of Velázquez', The Burlington Magazine, XII/59, 1908, pp. 299-300
-
1911A. Mayer, Die Sevillaner Malerschule, Leipzig 1911
-
1916R. Longhi, 'Gentileschi, padre e figlia', L'arte, XIX, 1916, pp. 245-314
-
1923V. von Loga, Die Malerei in Spanien, Berlin 1923
-
1925J. Allende-Salazar, Velazquez: Der Meisters Gemalde in 275 Abbildungen, Berlin 1925
-
1944M.S. Soria, 'Francisco de Zurbarán: A Study of His Style', Gazette des beaux-arts, XXV/6, 1944, pp. 33-48, 153-74
-
1946J. Ainaud de Lasarte, 'Pinturas de procedencia sevillana', Archivo español de arte, XIX/73, 1946, pp. 54-63
-
1946M. Sérullaz, 'La représentation de la vie populaire dans la peinture espagnole au XVII siècle', Bulletin des musées de France, XI/6-7, 1946, pp. 30-5
-
1952Maclaren, Neil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Spanish School, London 1952
-
1965A. Braham, 'The Early Style of Murillo', The Burlington Magazine, CVII/750, 1965, pp. 445-51
-
1969J. Plesters, 'A Preliminary Note on the Incidence of Discolouration of Smalt in Oil Media', Studies in Conservation, XIV/2, 1969, pp. 62-74
-
1970N. MacLaren and A. Braham, The Spanish School, 2nd edn, London 1970
-
1973J. Hernández Díaz, 'Obras artisticas hispalenses de los Siglos de Oro', Boletín de bellas artes. Real Academia de Bellas Artes de Santa Isabel de Hungría, I, 1973, pp. 61-72
-
1981D. Angulo Iñiguez, Murillo, Madrid 1981
-
1981J. Baticle and C. Marinas, Notes et documents des Musées de France. La Galerie Espagnole de Louis-Philippe au Louvre, 1838-1848, Paris 1981
-
1988Maclaren, Neil, revised by Allan Braham, National Gallery Catalogues: The Spanish School, 2nd edn (revised), London 1988
-
1991F. Bologna, Battistello Caracciolo e il primo naturalismo a Napoli (exh. cat. Chiesa della Certosa di San Martino, 9 November 1991 - 19 January 1992), Naples 1991
-
1994National Gallery, 'Pictures Cleaned and Restored in the Conservation Department of the National Gallery, October 1994 - September 1995', National Gallery Technical Bulletin, XVII, 1996
-
1995R. White and J. Pilc, 'Analyses of Paint Media', National Gallery Technical Bulletin, XVI, 1995, pp. 85-95
-
1998B.N. Prieto, La pintura andaluza del siglo XVII y sus fuentes grabadas, Madrid 1998
-
2000G. Finaldi, The Image of Christ, London 2000
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
-
2004M. Nancarrow and B.N. Prieto, Antonio del Castillo, Madrid 2004
-
2005A.E.P. Sánchez and B.N. Prieto, De Herrera a Velázquez: El primer naturalismo en Sevilla (exh. cat. Hospital de los venerables, 9 November 2005 - 28 February 2006; Museo de bellas artes, 20 March - 28 May 2006), Seville 2005
-
2006J. Sweetman, 'John Frederick Lewis and the Royal Scottish Academy II: Italy, the Netherlands and France', The Burlington Magazine, CXLVIII/1236, 2006, pp. 194-200
-
2010G. Bozzo, 'L'Adorazione dei pastori di Londra e l'opera giovanile di Ribera', Paragone, LXI/90, 2010, pp. 28-43
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.