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Annunciation to the Shepherds

1775
Not on view
The Gospel of Luke describes the sudden appearance of an angel to a group of shepherds keeping watch over their flock at night. As "the glory of the Lord" shines around them, the angel announces the news of the birth of the Messiah. In this finished drawing, exhibited in Paris in 1775, the shepherds can barely withstand the angel's powerful luminosity, suggested by the crisp strokes of white gouache that gleam against the vibrant blue paper.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Annunciation to the Shepherds
  • Artist: Jean Jacques Lagrenée (French, Paris 1739–1821 Paris)
  • Date: 1775
  • Medium: Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, heightened with white, on blue-washed paper
  • Dimensions: 15 13/16 x 21 13/16 in. (40.2 x 55.4 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Mrs. Carl L. Selden Gift, in memory of Carl L. Selden, 1983
  • Object Number: 1983.302
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
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St. Jerome in a Landscape, Jean Jacques Lagrenée French, Etching
St. Jerome in a Landscape
Jean Jacques Lagrenée
1762–63
St. Jerome in a Landscape, Jean Jacques Lagrenée French, Etching
St. Jerome in a Landscape
Jean Jacques Lagrenée
1762–63
The Annunciation, Jean Jacques Lagrenée French, Etching
The Annunciation
Jean Jacques Lagrenée
1762–63
Tobie effrayé par le poisson (Tobias frightens the fish), Jean Jacques Lagrenée French, Etching
Tobie effrayé par le poisson (Tobias frightens the fish)
Jean Jacques Lagrenée
late 18th century
L'Adoration des Bergers (The Adoration of the Shepherds), Jean Jacques Lagrenée French, Etching
L'Adoration des Bergers (The Adoration of the Shepherds)
Jean Jacques Lagrenée
1762–63

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