Artheon MuseumArtheonMuseum

The Adoration of the Shepherds

The Adoration of the Shepherds by Battista Franco (Italian, c. 1510–1561)

Medium

Etching and engraving

Dimensions

sheet: 37.4 × 51 cm · platemark: 37.5 × 51 cm

Classification

Print

Department

Prints

Museum

Cleveland Museum of Art

Credit

Alma Kroeger Fund

Accession Number

2017.107

Tags

male

About this artwork

Battista Franco was one of Michelangelo’s most devoted followers: his biographer Giorgio Vasari wrote that he drew every figure on the master’s Sistine Chapel ceiling. In Franco’s own works, such as this print, he made new, inventive compositions that emulated Michelangelo without directly copying or quoting his works. The print depicts the group of shepherds who visited the Christ child shortly after his birth. Franco used twisting, active poses and emphasized anatomy and musculature, creating ...

    Send Feedback

    We use this only to reply to your feedback.