Adoration of the Shepherds is a late oil painting by Hugo van der Goes, now in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin. Unusually large for the painter, it is less well-known than his Portinari Triptych or his Monforte Altarpiece on the same subject. He produced it before renouncing his worldly life and becoming a lay brother at Rouge-Cloître Abbey near Brussels, a daughter house of the Windesheim Congregation in the strict tradition of the Brethren of the Common Life, part of the wider devotio moderna movement.
Adoration of the Shepherds | |
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Artist | Hugo van der Goes |
Year | c. 1480 |
Medium | Oils |
Dimensions | 97 cm × 245 cm (38 in × 96 in) |
Location | Gemäldegalerie, Berlin |
The scene is flanked by two prophets from the Hebrew scriptures, shown half-length and holding up a green curtain, which they part to show the scene. Standing in front of the scene, they act as intermediaries between it and the viewer, with the right-hand one with his hand and mouth open as if to speak.[1] According to art historian Hans Belting, the panel "is indeed a scene in the theatrical sense, as we see the curtains opening on the stable in Bethlehem as if the play is about to begin."[1] The scene itself includes three shepherds as well as a background scene showing the angels announcing Christ's birth to them. The Christ Child looks out at the viewer and behind him, Mary and Joseph is a group of angels.[1]
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