The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 24, 2024
The Adoration of the Shepherds
c. 1552
(Italian, c. 1510–1561)
Platemark: 37.5 x 51 cm (14 3/4 x 20 1/16 in.)
Alma Kroeger Fund 2017.107
Catalogue raisonné: Bartsch XVI.121.8; Passavant VI, p. 178; Lauder 112, state II/IV
Location: not on view
Description
Battista Franco was one of Michelangelo’s most devoted followers: his biographer Giorgio Vasari wrote that he drew every figure on the master’s Sistine Chapel ceiling. In Franco’s own works, such as this print, he made new, inventive compositions that emulated Michelangelo without directly copying or quoting his works.The print depicts the group of shepherds who visited the Christ child shortly after his birth. Franco used twisting, active poses and emphasized anatomy and musculature, creating distinct groups of figures in the foreground and background. Guided by a host of angels, the shepherds’ twisting bodies, pointing gestures, and directional gazes—mirrored by those of an ass and a cow—offer witness to the miraculous birth. Groups of men conversing in the background offer a more intellectual approach to the miracle, while Joseph gazes calmly and contemplatively from the right.
- Peters, Emily J. and Wehn, James. “Acquisition Highlights: Prints.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 58. no. 2 (March/April 2018): 14-15. Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 14.
- Master/Apprentice: Imitation and Inspiration in the Renaissance. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 13, 2019-February 23, 2020).Recent Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 17-June 7, 2018).The Cleveland Museum of Art (03/17/2018-06/06/2018): "Recent Acquisitions 2014-2017"
- {{cite web|title=The Adoration of the Shepherds|url=false|author=Battista Franco|year=c. 1552|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2017.107