The Adoration of the Shepherds

1720

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

243.8 × 264.2 cm

Status

In Museum Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-132625

Mary's beatifically idealized face reflects the heavenly light emanating from the glowing baby Jesus. Attractive young women coo over the infant, an old man whispers to a bare-chested shepherd cradling a sheep at the far left, and two birds rest contentedly at the foot of the rustic manger. Though on the earthly plane, a young boy holding a dove and shading his eyes in the foreground seems more like a sibling to the heavenly putti holding a scroll and a censer over the newborn Christ. The young Sebastiano Conca successfully blended this Baroque wealth of activity with a symmetrical, classicizing composition centered on the manger. Despite the painting's expansive scale, his brilliant handling lends a cool sweetness that points toward the Rococo style. Conca painted this picture for Rome's most adventurous patron, Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni. He may also have used this painting as a model for an altar frontal, a pillow-like plaque decoration.