Adoration of the Shepherds

Dateca. 1710-25

Label TextAmid bustling activity in the dim, crowded stable, the Virgin contemplates her newborn son; her blue mantle shields him from the eager shepherds, but he is revealed to the viewer. In the right foreground, Mary's husband Joseph asks the viewer not to disturb the sleeping child. The most prominent and versatile Bolognese artist of his time, Crespi's contribution was to restore intimacy and naturalism to painting, whether the subject was religious, mythological, or a scene from contemporary life.

Object number49.130

ProvenanceCollection of Curt Glaser (1879-1943), Berlin, Germany, by 1928; [Internationales Kunst- und Auktionshaus, Berlin, Germany, Sammlung und Bibliothek eines Berliner Kunstfreundes, May 9, 1933, lot no. 251]; purchased at auction by Dr. Frederick (Fritz) Hausmann (1885-1956), Berlin, Germany, and New York, until 1946; sold to [Schaeffer Galleries, New York], Nov. 25, 1946; purchased from gallery by Seattle Art Museum with funds from Ernest N. and Kathryn Patty, Seattle, Washington, May 11, 1949

Exhibition HistoryNew York, New York, Schaeffer Gallery, Gems of Baroque Painting, Jan. 27 - Feb. 28, 1942. Cat. no. 9. Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Berkshire Museum, Baroque Painting Lent by the Schaeffer Galleries of New York, June 3 - June 30, 1942. Cat. no. 8. Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore Museum of Art, Three Baroque Masters: Strozzi, Crespi, Piazzetta, Apr. 28 - June 4, 1944. Cat. no. 17, reproduced. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Masterpiece of the Month, Sept. 7 - Oct. 2, 1949. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Renaissance and Baroque Art, Feb. 8 - Mar. 5, 1950. Vancouver, British Columbia, Vancouver Art Gallery, Baroque Paintings, 1952.Published ReferencesLasareff, Victor. "Studies on Giuseppe Maria Crespi." Art in America, vol. 17, no. 1 (December 1928): pp. 18-19, reproduced fig. 11. Handbook, Seattle Art Museum: Selected Works from the Permanent Collections. Seattle: Seattle Art Museum, 1951; p. 125, reproduced. Heimburger, Minna. "Giuseppe Maria Crespi, Giovanni Battista Piazzetta E Una Loro Comune Fonte D'Izpirazione." Paragone, no. 3 (May 1987): pp. 27-28, reproduced fig. 23.

Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest N. Patty, in memory of their son, Ernest N. Patty, Jr.

Dimensions38 3/8 x 30 1/8 in. (97.5 x 76.5 cm)

MediumOil on canvas