Adoration of the Shepherds (copy after Pittoni)
- Artist: Giovanni Battista Pittoni, the younger
- Date: (circa) 1951 - 1954
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The Courtauld Gallery
- Collection record: The Courtauld Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the “Adoration of the Shepherds (copy after Pittoni)” by Giovanni Battista Pittoni, the younger. Painted in oil on canvas between 1951 and 1954, it revisits the classic Nativity scene where shepherds gather to honor the newborn Christ. As a copy after the original work by Pittoni, the artist pays close attention to the compositional balance and the arrangement of figures, while bringing a mid‑century sensibility to the palette and brushwork. The canvas captures the modest setting of the stable, the quiet reverence of the shepherds, and the gentle illumination that highlights the infant’s presence. The use of oil allows subtle gradations of color, giving the scene a warm, luminous quality that draws the viewer into the moment of quiet awe. Overall, the painting is a respectful homage to Pittoni’s earlier vision, filtered through a later artist’s hand in the 1950s. It reminds us how historical themes can be re‑interpreted across time, each version adding its own layer of expression while staying rooted in the enduring narrative of the Shepherds’ adoration.
See it in person
Adoration of the Shepherds (copy after Pittoni) hangs in The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
