Adoration of the Shepherds (also referred to as The Nativity) is a late oil painting by the Flemish Northern Renaissance painter Hugo van der Goes, now in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin.[1] Unusually large for van der Goes, 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 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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.[2] 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."[2] 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.[2]
See also edit
Bibliography edit
- (in German) Hans Belting, Die Erfindung des Gemäldes. Das erste Jahrhundert der Niederländischen Malerei, Munich, Hirmer Verlag, 1994; chapter 14, "Hugo Van der Goes. A painted theatre"
- Larousse (ed.). "Hugo van der Goes". Dictionnaire de la peinture (in French). Larousse..
- (in French) Rivages de Bohême
- Nevet Dolev (1999). Publication of the Tel-Aviv University Faculty of Fine Arts, Section B (ed.). "Gaspar Ofhuys' chronicle and Hugo van der Goes" (PDF). Assaph B. 4: 125–137. ISSN 0333-6476.[permanent dead link]
References edit
- ^ "Die Geburt Christi". Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
- ^ a b c Belting, Hans; Kruse, Christiane (1994). Die Erfindung des Gemäldes: das erste Jahrhundert der niederländischen Malerei (in German). München: Hirmer. ISBN 978-3-7774-6450-3. OCLC 995122669.
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