Adoration of the Shepherds
c. 1750
Medium
Pen and brown ink and brush and black ink, with black and red ink washes, over black chalk, on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
46.4 × 33.5 cm (18 5/16 × 13 1/4 in.)
Classification
drawings (visual works)
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
244914
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Here Francesco Fontebasso depicted the biblical story of the birth of Christ, pairing three astonished shepherds, who surround the Virgin and Child at center, with four angelic putti hovering above the humble manger. Joseph kneels in the right foreground. An independent work, not related to a painting, the drawing is densely layered. Different colors of ink and wash delineate the figures’ garments and the manger’s rough walls and capture the effects of celestial light.
About the Artist
Francesco Fontebasso · 1707–1769
Comment on works: Religious