Adoration of the Shepherds
ca. 1710-25
Amid 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.
Oil on canvas
38 3/8 x 30 1/8 in. (97.5 x 76.5 cm)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest N. Patty, in memory of their son, Ernest N. Patty, Jr.
49.130
Provenance: Collection 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