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English

The Adoration of the Shepherds

shortly after 1450
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 606
In clothing tattered from years of labor, a group of shepherds arrives to witness the newborn Christ Child. His birth was announced to them by angels, as seen in the upper right. The humble figures find the Holy Family resting in a mesmerizingly detailed landscape. Mantegna depicted the Virgin Mary and Christ Child as a portal between the natural world and the divine: the Virgin’s blue and gold robes extend into clouds filled with cherubs who swirl around the newborn. The painting may have been commissioned by Borso d’Este, the duke of Ferrara. Its style seems to be a response to the vogue for Netherlandish painting in Ferrara.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Adoration of the Shepherds
  • Artist: Andrea Mantegna (Italian, Isola di Carturo 1430/31–1506 Mantua)
  • Date: shortly after 1450
  • Medium: Tempera on canvas, transferred from wood
  • Dimensions: Overall 15 3/4 x 21 7/8 in. (40 x 55.6 cm); painted surface 14 7/8 x 21 in. (37.8 x 53.3 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Anonymous Gift, 1932
  • Object Number: 32.130.2
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

Audio

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5100. The Adoration of the Shepherds

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