The 12 main panels of the altarpiece, one of the largest to be commissioned in 14th-century Florence, are in the National Gallery Collection. The predella shows scenes from the life of Saint Peter & is dispersed in different collections. The painting was commissioned for the church of San Pier Maggiore in Florence, probably by the Albizzi family. The accounts of 1370 show that a certain Niccolò, probably Niccolò di Pietro Gerini, designed the altarpiece. It was probably painted by Jacopo di Cione & assistants. It was completed in 1371. In the centre of the composition are Christ & the Virgin, dressed in white & gold, & seated upon a canopied throne surrounded by angels. The panels to each side are densely crowded with saints; to the left a prominent Saint Peter carries a model of San Pier Maggiore. The middle tier of the altarpiece, which would have been supported by heavy buttresses, showed (from left to right) the Nativity, the Adoration of the Kings, the Resurrection, the Maries at the Sepulchre, the Ascension & Pentecost. In the three pinnacles above, the Trinity appeared in the centre with adoring angels on each side. A later, more fluent, Florentine version of the theme is ' The Coronation of the Virgin' by Lorenzo Monaco. ...

The King kneeling to kiss the Child's foot has handed his gift to Joseph. This panel, probably painted in Florence during the first half of the 15th century, is close to the style of Fra Angelico, although not of high enough quality to be by him. This pain ...

Christ is shown holding the banner of the Resurrection. He is surrounded by choirs of angels; Saint Michael is identifiable at the left of the third row on the right. This, along with four other panels showing respectively, ' The Virgin Mary with the Apostles & Other Saints', ' The Forerunners of Christ with Saints & Martyrs', ' The Dominican Blessed' & another panel of ' The Dominican Blessed', formed the predella, or lower section, of the high altarpiece of San Domenico at Fiesole, near Florence. This was the church of Fra Angelico's own Dominican friary. The predella shows the most elaborate depiction of the Court of Heaven in the Collection. Christ stands in the centre surrounded by angels, saints & martyrs. The church of San Domenico was dedicated in 1435, & Fra Angelico's picture was probably in place on the high altar by that time. The main panel was modified by Lorenzo di Credi around 1501. This & the painted pilaster are still in the church. ...

The shepherds come to adore the new-born Jesus in the stable. New Testament (Luke 2: 8-14). In the background the angel announces the birth of Christ to them. Poussin uses a long-established motif, & places the Nativity in a stable built into the ruins of a classical building. This motif appears in the National Gallery's earliest Botticelli, ' Adoration of the Kings', & Poussin's contemporaries the Le Nain brothers used it in their ' Adoration of the Shepherds' of about 1640. The ruins represent the collapse of the Old Dispensation, the law of the Old Testament, superseded by the New Dispensation, the kingdom of Christ. The figure of the kneeling shepherd derives from that of one of the magi in ' The Adoration of the Magi' by the studio of Raphael (Rome, Vatican Loggie). Each figure shows a different stage in the bending motion of the human body. ...

Rembrandt: The adoration of the shepherdsshows Joseph behind the Virgin while two shepherds kneel before the crib. Behind, two women hold up a small child so that it can see Jesus. In the shadows on the right stand a group of five other figures, among them a boy with a dog. This Rembrandt painting is available as a print or framed print from the National Gallery. ...

Thirteen panels illustrating the life of Christ & comparable in size & style are known. They mainly depict incidents from the Life & Passion of Christ. It has been suggested that these works, probably with some others which are now lost, came from a ...

Painted in 1496 for the church of San Francesco in Città di Castello. Joseph is seated to the right while the shepherds kneel or prepare to kneel to the left; in the distance the angel is seen announcing Christ's birth. Within the portico is a scene representing the decree of taxation by the Emperor Augustus which had prompted Joseph & Mary to journey to Bethlehem. ...

The young Saint John the Baptist is included at the left & the Annunciation to the shepherds can be seen in the centre background. The journey of the Magi is depicted in the right background. This is one of three similar pictures of the same subject which appear to be by the same hand (the other two are in the United States, one in the Nelson Atkins Museum, Kansas City). It was formerly attributed to Savoldo. ...

In the background, an angel announces Christ’s birth to the shepherds. In the foreground, the same shepherds join the Virgin in worshipping the new-born Child. The ox & ass are stabled behind the manger. This painting originally formed the left-hand side of a diptych, bound in violet velvet with The Dead Christ at the right. ...

Create your own bespoke print of Guido Reni’s The Adoration of the Shepherds from our collection. About this painting The Adoration of the Shepherds, about 1640 © The National Gallery, London This painting joined our collection in 1957 With our custom print service, you can order your own fully customised reproduction from the National Gallery Collection & exhibitions. Choose your own size, print material & frames & have your masterpiece delivered straight to your door. ...