Adoration of the shepherds
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The Adoration of the shepherds, in Christian iconography, is a scene in which shepherds are near witnesses to the birth of Jesus, at his birthplace, typically depicted as a barn, near Bethlehem. It is based on the account in the Gospel of Luke, not reported by any other Canonical Gospel, which states that an angel appeared to a group of shepherds, saying that Christ had been born in Bethlehem. Luke then states that a crowd of angels appear to the shepherds saying H'allelujah, peace on earth to men of good will. The shepherds are then described as being spurred by this to visit Jesus, before they return to their flocks.
The speech of the angels became the initial part of the Gloria in Excelsis Deo, often known simply as the Gloria, a doxology that appears in the traditional Christian Mass. Consequently it has had many musical settings, though, since the text only forms the introductory section of the Gloria, it is usually one of the most plain parts of the music.
In more recent times has become a well known Christmas carol - while shepherds watch their flocks by night, which is frequently parodied, often as while shepherds wash their socks by night. This carol changes the speech of the crowd of angels into the subtly different ...peace on earth and good will to all men.
Many artists have also treated this subject, famous examples include works by:
- Caravaggio, Museo Regionale, Messina (Adoration of the Shepherds (Caravaggio))
- Correggio, Dresden Gallery
- Domenico Ghirlandaio, Sassetti Chapel, Santa Trinità, Florence
- Giorgione, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
- Giotto, in the Cappella degli Scrovegni
- Hugo van der Goes: the Portinari Triptych, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
- El Greco, Museo del Prado, Madrid (Adoration of the Shepherds (El Greco))
- Georges de la Tour, Louvre, Paris
- Andrea Mantegna, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
- Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, The Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
- Nicolas Poussin, National Gallery, London
- Rembrandt, National Gallery, London
- Martin Schongauer, Berlin Gallery
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