The Adoration of the Shepherds
This is a smaller version of an altarpiece that El Greco painted for the private chapel in Toledo where he would be buried. He repeated the subject frequently, and this example was made in collaboration with workshop assistants who were familiar with his idiosyncrasies of palette and form. Compared with a related version also hanging in this gallery, these figures are more tightly cropped, resulting in a sense of greater immediacy. The lower halves of the two foreground figures have also been greatly elongated, making the newborn’s tiny body appear even more delicate and precious.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Adoration of the Shepherds
- Artist: El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) and Workshop (Greek, Iráklion (Candia) 1541–1614 Toledo)
- Date: ca. 1612–14
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 43 1/2 x 25 5/8 in. (110.5 x 65.1 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Bequest of George Blumenthal, 1941
- Object Number: 41.190.17
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
More Artwork
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El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) (Greek, Iráklion (Candia) 1541–1614 Toledo)
ca. 1608–14
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) (Greek, Iráklion (Candia) 1541–1614 Toledo)
ca. 1605–10
Anthony van Dyck (Flemish, Antwerp 1599–1641 London)
ca. 1622
Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée) (French, Chamagne 1604/5?–1682 Rome)
ca. 1643
Sir Joshua Reynolds (British, Plympton 1723–1792 London)
1761–66
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