The Adoration of the Shepherds
This is a smaller version of an altarpiece El Greco painted for the chapel in Toledo where he would be buried (that work is now in the Museo del Prado, Madrid). 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. In comparison with another version hanging nearby, the figures here are more tightly cropped, resulting in a greater sense of immediacy. The lower halves of the two foreground figures in particular have been greatly elongated, not extending into space but trailing along the picture plane.
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
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.