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The Adoration of the Shepherds

1374
On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 08
Once the central panel of an altarpiece, this painting simultaneously depicts the Adoration of the Christ Child and the Annunciation to the Shepherds, shown in the upper right. To create clear spatial relationships, the artist employed overlapping planes and daring, if naive, perspective—most evident in the projecting roof of the stable. The setting of the narrative combines the Byzantine tradition of representing the Adoration in a cave with the Western iconography of a stable. This panel may have been flanked by single panels depicting standing saints.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Adoration of the Shepherds
  • Artist: Bartolo di Fredi (Italian, active by 1353–died 1410 Siena)
  • Date: 1374
  • Geography: Made in Siena, Tuscany, Italy
  • Culture: Italian
  • Medium: Tempera on poplar, gold ground
  • Dimensions: Overall: 69 1/8 x 45 1/8 in. (175.6 x 114.6 cm)
    Painted surface: 63 1/4 x 45 1/8 in. (160.7 x 114.6 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings-Panels
  • Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 1925
  • Object Number: 25.120.288
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

More Artwork

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Saint Mary Magdalen, Bartolo di Fredi Italian, Tempera on wood, gold ground
Saint Mary Magdalen
Multiple artists/makers
mid-14th century
The Adoration of the Magi, Bartolo di Fredi Italian, Tempera and gold on wood
The Adoration of the Magi
Bartolo di Fredi
ca. 1390
Chalice of Peter of Sassoferrato, Silver-gilt, translucent enamels, Italian
Chalice of Peter of Sassoferrato
Italian
ca. 1341–42
The Crucifixion, Master of the Codex of Saint George Italian, Tempera on wood, gold ground, Italian
The Crucifixion
Master of the Codex of Saint George
ca. 1330–35
Blessing Bishop (Saint Nicholas of Bari), Poplar, with paint and gilding, Italian
Blessing Bishop (Saint Nicholas of Bari)
Italian
ca. 1350–75

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