Adoration of the Shepherds
Medium
Tempera and gold on parchment
Dimensions
9 5/8 x 6 in. (24.4 x 15.2 cm)
Classification
Manuscripts and Illuminations
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975 1975.1.2491
Accession Number
1975.1.2491
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created around 1500 by the Italian illuminator Francesco di Marco Marmitta da Parma, this delicate miniature captures the tender moment of the Adoration the Shepherds. The scene brings together the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and adoring angels in a composition designed for intimate contemplation. Painted in tempera with luminous gold accents on parchment, the work measures just under ten inches tall, typical of the finely crafted pages once bound into private prayer books or Books of Hours. Marmitta’s use of gold leaf heightens the sacred atmosphere, catching light to suggest divine prese...