Artwork
The Adoration of the Shepherds
The Adoration of the Shepherds is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre. It dates from 1745 and is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition features the Christ Child and the Virgin Mary as the central figures, surrounded by a group of shepherds who have arrived to pay homage.
Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre's 1745 oil painting illustrates the biblical episode known as the Adoration of the Shepherds. The composition features the Christ Child and the Virgin Mary as the central figures, surrounded by a group of shepherds who have arrived to pay homage. An angel is also present within the scene, serving as a divine messenger or participant in the celestial event.
As a work of religious art, the piece visually narrates the humble recognition of Jesus's birth by rural witnesses, a common theme in Christian iconography that emphasizes the accessibility of the divine to all social classes. The gathering of these specific figures around the infant defines the narrative focus of the canvas.
Technique & Style
Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre painted The Adoration of the Shepherds in oil on canvas in 1745. The composition depicts the Christ Child, Jesus Christ, Mary, an angel, and shepherds in a religious scene rendered with typical 18th-century oil techniques on a canvas support. The work is part of the Detroit Institute of Arts collection and is classified as a religious painting.
History & Provenance
Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre created the oil painting The Adoration of the Shepherds in 1745. Executed on canvas, the work depicts a religious scene featuring the Christ Child, the Virgin Mary, an angel, and shepherds. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts, where it remains located.
No specific details regarding the original commission or the intermediate ownership chain prior to its arrival at the museum are provided in the available records.
The Adoration of the Shepherds, an oil painting on canvas created by Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre in 1745, is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts in Detroit. As a religious work depicting the adoration of the Christ Child by shepherds and angels, it remains part of the museum's permanent holdings. The source material does not provide a specific inventory or accession number for the piece, nor does it document any exhibition history or loan records.
Context
The painting demonstrates Pierre's role within 18th-century French religious art, reflecting the era's devotional focus and his position among contemporaries who specialized in devotional subjects. Its creation date of 1745 situates it within the mid-18th century, a period when religious scenes remained prominent in French artistic practice. The work's composition, depicting the Christ Child, Jesus Christ, Mary, an angel, and shepherds, aligns with established iconographic traditions for the Adoration of the Shepherds theme, as documented in scholarly descriptions of the piece.
Overview
Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre’s 1745 oil on canvas, titled The Adoration of the Shepherds, presents a nocturnal tableau of the Nativity. The composition is anchored by the infant Jesus in a simple manger, surrounded by a gathering of shepherds, angels, and a woman in blue. The work belongs to the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre (1714–1789) was a French artist, born in Paris.
