The Adoration of the Shepherds
1374
Medium
Tempera on poplar, gilding
Dimensions
Overall: 69 1/8 x 45 1/8 in. (175.6 x 114.6 cm) Painted surface: 63 1/4 x 45 1/8 in. (160.7 x 114.6 cm)
Classification
Paintings-Panels
Culture
Italian
Department
The Cloisters
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Cloisters Collection, 1925
Accession Number
25.120.288
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the serene galleries of The Cloisters at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, *The Adoration of the Shepherds* (1374) by Bartolo di Fredi captures a pivotal moment from the Nativity story. Painted in tempera on a large poplar panel (overall 69 1/8 x 45 1/8 inches), this Sienese masterpiece depicts the Virgin Mary tenderly cradling the infant Jesus, surrounded by Saint Joseph, humble shepherds, adoring angels, and gentle cows—evoking the humble stable of Bethlehem. The lavish gilding, with its radiant gold leaf, bathes the scene in divine light, a hallmark of 14th-century Italian devotion...