Titian, 'The Holy Family with a Shepherd', about 1510

This is one of Titian’s earliest surviving works. It shows the Adoration of the Shepherds – the flying angel in the distance announces Christ’s birth to them. The holy family is shown at Christ’s birthplace, accompanied by the ox and donkey. The kneeling Virgin supports the infant Christ on the manger, which is woven from sticks. Saint Joseph presents the baby to the young shepherd, who kneels in reverence.

It is unusual to find only one shepherd in attendance. The reason for this may be that Titian wished to emphasise the importance of Saint Joseph by making him central to the composition both in terms of action and position. The painting was probably made for a patron who was especially devoted to Saint Joseph, whose cult was strongly promoted in north Italy at this date – altarpieces commissioned by confraternities dedicated to Saint Joseph often give him similar prominence. However, it is more likely that this picture was painted for a domestic setting.

Titian’s lack of training in drawing the figure is clear from the size of Saint Joseph’s head in relation to his torso, and the awkward way it is attached to his neck. None of the figures are convincingly articulated, again suggesting that this is a very early work. Titian has disguised the form of the Virgin’s body with billowing folds of drapery. The tender expression of mother and child is emphasised by the soft white linen in which they are encircled. Titian has balanced this in the composition with the shepherd’s rather impractical white shirt and leggings – an indication that he was already thinking of colour and composition together, which would become a hallmark of his mature works.

The painting shows the influence of Titian’s older colleague Giovanni Bellini, but the meditative style and atmospheric landscape is more closely related to work by Giorgione, with whom Titian worked around in the years before Giorgione’s death in 1510. The dark, rocky bank with shrubs and weeds silhouetted against the dawn sky is a device often used in Giorgione’s work. However, the figures and drapery style in The Holy Family with a Shepherd are more monumental and bolder in technique than anything Giorgione is known to have painted. The figures are not set against the landscape but are convincingly united with it, a feature that Titian was to develop further in works such as Noli me Tangere of about 1514, in which the landscape plays a part in the drama. It is difficult to be certain about the order in which these very early works by Titian were painted, as his figure style and the confidence of the drawing varies from picture to picture, but this painting shares some similarities with other works painted around 1510–11.

Much of the landscape, especially on the left, has been damaged by rubbing. The shadows of the Virgin’s blue cloak have none of their original depth, making it now appear rather flat. The purple glaze has also been lost from Saint Joseph’s robe, making the highlights appear more prominent.