Adoration of the Shepherds - Entourage of Maarten de Vos, late 16th century

Oil on oak panel. Antwerp school, late 16th century.
Our composition depicts the Adoration of the Shepherds, an episode from the Nativity of which it is the prologue. The Gospel according to Luke is laconic on the subject: “Mary gave birth to a son and laid him in a manger because there was no room for her at the inn”. This theme developed and took root in Christian artistic iconography from the Renaissance onwards.
Here, the Virgin is shown kneeling before the Child, resting on an improvised bed covered in straw. Behind her, the gray-bearded old man bowing is none other than Joseph, thanking God for making him a father. The donkey and ox stand nearby. Around them, the shepherds and two angels bow to the Messiah, completing the picture. In the foreground, on either side of the composition, two men, probably a father and son, kneel in prayer, having donned the alb that testifies to their faith. These are the work's donors, those who commissioned and paid for the painting.
On our large panel, the piety of the protagonists is perceptible, and the softness that prevails offers the viewer the unfolding of an intimate scene in which the shepherds bring their modest gifts - a lamb, a basket of fruit and a curious micturition - to the Son of God. At the top of the composition, in a halo of light, the angel of the Annunciation guides the shepherds to the Nativity scene.
Our painting, whose stylistic characteristics are unmistakable, is clearly part of Antwerp's prolific artistic output in the second half of the 16th century. More precisely, we can situate it in the immediate perimeter of the most important history painter of this period: Maarten de Vos.

Our large panel is presented in a blackened and gilded wood casseta frame.
Dimensions: 93 x 76 - 112 x 94 cm with frame