Adoration of the Shepherds
ca. 1530
Medium
Etching and drypoint
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1927
Accession Number
27.78.2(296)
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the early 16th century, Vincenzo Caccianemici captured the timeless biblical scene of the Adoration of the Shepherds in this delicate print dated around 1530. The work portrays the humble shepherds approaching the Madonna and Child, surrounded by men and women in a moment of quiet reverence. Now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection in the Department of Drawings and Prints, it reflects the Renaissance fascination with Nativity themes that emphasized devotion, simplicity, and divine grace. Caccianemici employed the techniques of etching and drypoint to create fine lines and ri...