Pareglio & Ayres Antiques

Description

Title: The Adoration of the Shepherds
Period: About 1600-25
Artist: follower of Jacopo Bassano
Medium and support: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 87 × 76 cm

The episode of the adoration of the shepherds, who came to Bethlehem after the announcement of the angels, is narrated in the Gospel of Luke. The theme is tackled on the one hand respecting tradition, and on the other introducing innovations. Archaeological ruins, a frequent element in the Italian iconography of the Nativity, are the backdrop of the scene. There is a row of broken columns on a high pedestal, modelled on the Greek temples, which is leaning against a hut. The unusual architectural structure symbolizes the overcoming of paganism and the construction of the Christian church, of which the birth of Jesus is the first act of foundation. What is most striking is the almost disrespectful humility of pastors, in line, moreover, with the spirit of the Gospel story, which wants the last in the social hierarchy as the first worshippers of the Messiah. The shepherds occupy the centre of the scene, and if the left side of the picture wasn’t there, it might seem like a genre scene with a rural character. The shepherd from behind is kneeling, showing his bare feet, to remember his extreme humility, and holds a lamb, sacrificial animal par excellence, reference to the future Passion of Christ. On the far right, a curious insert: a crouched boy blows on a burning ember, in the useless effort to revive a flame, now weak, in the face of the powerful light of divine revelation.
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The first Adoration of the Shepherds by Jacopo da Bassano (active about 1535 died 1592) dates back to circa 1548. Later, around 1562, he returned to the same subject with another similar composition of the Adoration for the Shepperd (Palazzo Corsini, Rome). He continued with further versions of the subject, making slight changes and alterations, and these versions were then copied by his sons. The subject reached great popularity.
This painting may be a workshop copy of a version by one of the sons, so it is not easy to determine exactly who it is by.
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The following notes are form the National Gallery, London website
Jacopo Bassano (active about 1535 died 1592)
Jacopo dal Ponte, called Bassano, is the most famous of a family of painters from Bassano in the Veneto. He was mainly active also in Venice and the Veneto.
Bassano developed a rustic, realistic and expressive style indebted to prints by Dürer, and was a pioneer in Italy of night scenes. Jacopo Bassano was probably first trained by his father, Francesco, and then in Venice with Bonifazio Veronese. His earliest known works, produced in Bassano, date from the later 1530s.
Bassano was grounded in Venetian painting, particularly in the work of Titian and Lotto. In addition to the influence of Northern prints, his expressive style was indebted, from about 1540, to the work of Raphael and Parmigianino.
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