Adoration of the Shepherds
Andrea Mantegna, 1450
The Adoration of the Shepherds is a small painting usually attributed to the early years of Andrea Mantegna, dated to around 1450-1451. It was probably commissioned by Borso d'Este during the artist's stay in Ferrara. Originally painted on panel, it was later transferred to canvas at an unknown date, losing a narrow strip on the far right. The scene unfolds in an open space: the Virgin kneels on a stony rise, adoring the Child laid on her blue cloak, surrounded by cherubs. Joseph sleeps to her right, a detail that suggests his role as a mere guardian, while two shepherds bow respectfully on the left. Notable features include the dead tree bearing fruit on a single branch, the enclosed garden alluding to Mary's virginity, and the ox in the stable. In the distance, a mountain landscape holds the annunciation to the shepherds, and a large tree shaped like a cross foreshadows the Passion. Perspective irregularities and the careful attention to detail have led scholars to place the work close to Mantegna's first frescoes in the Ovetari Chapel, with a possible echo of Flemish painting. The shepherds, with their wrinkled faces and ragged clothes, also reveal the influence of northern European models.
- Painter
- Andrea Mantegna
- Date
- 1450
- Medium
- tempera, canvas
- Dimensions
- 40 × 56 cm
- Museum
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
- Genre
- religious art
- Depicts
- adoration of the shepherds
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