Artwork
The adoration of the shepherds
The adoration of the shepherds is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich. It dates from 1738 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the Adoration of the Shepherds, a scene from the Nativity in which shepherds are shown kneeling in reverence before the infant Jesus.
The painting depicts the Adoration of the Shepherds, a scene from the Nativity in which shepherds are shown kneeling in reverence before the infant Jesus. In this representation, the Christ Child is the central focus, surrounded by the shepherds who recognize his divine birth. The composition emphasizes humility and divine revelation, aligning with traditional Christian iconography of the Nativity narrative.
The shepherds’ presence underscores the theme of divine accessibility to ordinary people, reinforcing the Christian belief in the Incarnation. The work aligns with religious art conventions of the period, conveying a moment of spiritual revelation and human devotion.
Technique & Style
Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich’s The Adoration of the Shepherds (1738) is executed in oil paint on canvas. The support measures 45 cm in height by 64 cm in width, a modest scale typical of devotional cabinet pictures of the period.
Stylistically, the work reflects Dietrich’s synthesis of seventeenth-century Netherlandish chiaroscuro and the more fluid, pastel-toned Rococo palette then emerging in Dresden. Brushwork remains largely invisible, with smooth transitions between illuminated flesh tones and the deep, glazed shadows that model the figures. The Christ Child is rendered with delicate sfumato, while the shepherds’ drapery folds are defined by crisp, linear contours rather than tactile impasto.
History & Provenance
Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich executed The Adoration of the Shepherds in 1738. Created as a religious work, the painting was produced using oil paint on canvas. The artwork depicts the Christ Child as its central subject within the context of the shepherds' adoration.
Following its creation, the painting entered the holdings of the Bavarian State Painting Collections. It is currently housed within the Alte Pinakothek, where it remains part of the institution's permanent display of religious art.
The painting is held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is located at the Alte Pinakothek. While the specific inventory or accession number is not provided in the available records, the work is cataloged as part of this major German public collection. The sources do not contain information regarding a specific exhibition history for this piece.
Overview
Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich’s Adoration of the Shepherds (1738) is an oil painting that belongs to the collection of Munich’s Alte Pinakothek. Executed in the Rococo era, the work presents a nocturnal nativity scene in a modest stable, where a woman cradles the infant Jesus amid a gathering of shepherds and onlookers.
Artist & collection
Artist
Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich
Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich (30 October 1712 – 23 April 1774) was a German painter and art administrator. In his own works, he was adept at imitating many earlier artists, but never developed a style of his own.
- The Adoration of the Shepherds
The Adoration of the Shepherds
The Adoration of the Shepherds
The Adoration of the Shepherds
The Adoration of the Shepherds
The Adoration of the Shepherds
The Adoration of the Shepherds
The Adoration of the Shepherds
Adoration of the Shepherds
The adoration of the shepherds
Die Anbetung der Hirten