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The Adoration of the Shepherds

late 1520s
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 611

This artist, who earned his nickname from his father’s employment as a gardener, was most likely trained in Ferrara in the first decade of the sixteenth century. His compositions, often illuminated by oblique lighting effects, subtly meld the rich saturated colors associated with Venetian painting with a measured classicism. This contemplative composition focuses on the adoration, eliminating the Annunciation to the Shepherds that is often included in such scenes.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Adoration of the Shepherds
  • Artist: L'Ortolano (Giovanni Battista Benvenuti) (Italian, Ferrarese, active by 1512–died after 1527)
  • Date: late 1520s
  • Medium: Oil on canvas, transferred from wood
  • Dimensions: 19 3/8 x 28 3/4 in. (49.2 x 73 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915
  • Object Number: 30.95.296
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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