|
|
| Artist | Attributed to school of Bassano, Jacopo, il vecchio (Italian painter and draftsman, ca. 1510-1592) Attributed to Italian (Northern Italian) School |
| Previous attributions | Previously attributed to Orrente, Pedro (Spanish painter, ca.1580-1645) Previously attributed to Zurbarán, Francisco de (Spanish painter, 1598-1664) |
| Title | The Adoration of the Shepherds |
| Date earliest | possibly about 1550 |
| Date latest | possibly about 1700 |
| Material | oil on canvas |
| Measurements | 132 x 152 cm (estimate) |
| Description | The episode represented in this painting is taken from the Gospel of Luke 2. 19. After receiving the announcement of Jesus' birth from an angel while they were looking after their flocks in the fields, a group of shepherds rushed to see the child. Lambs are included in the nocturnal scene, possibly as an allusion to Christ as the sacrificial lamb. The lack of idealisation of the shepherds, the theatrical lightning, and bright palette suggest that the painting could have been produced in Northern Italy during the seventeenth century, probably by a follower of Jacopo Bassano. |
| Subject | religion (Adoration of the Shepherds, angel); animal (lamb) |
| Collection | Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle |
| Current accession number | B.M.812 |
| Previous accession number(s) | No. 185 |
| Acquisition details | Bequeathed by the founders John and Joséphine Bowes 1885. |
| Provenance | Purchased by John and Joséphine Bowes from the collection of the late Conde de Quinto, cat. no. 141, as by Francisco de Zurbarán. |
| Principal publications | Soria, M., 'Notes on Spanish Painters in the Bowes Museum', The Connoisseur, vol. 148, 1961, pp. 30-37. |
| Notes | This painting was previously attributed to Pedro Orrente by Martin Soria. It is painted in the manner of the Nativity scenes which were popularised by the members of the Bassano family. |
| Rights status | The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, Co. Durham |
| Author | Dr Mercedes Cerón |
