Italian school; 17th century.

Italian school; 17th century.
"The adoration of the shepherds",
Oil on copper.
Measurements: 23 x 17 cm; 41 x 36 cm (frame).
The scene is organized around the central axis formed by the Virgin and Child, whose naked figure captures the main light incidence: a warm, almost supernatural light, which emerges from the infant's own body and expands towards the faces of the surrounding characters. This tenebrist lighting, typical of certain Italian circles influenced by late Caravaggism, allows solid volumes to be sculpted in the midst of a nocturnal atmosphere, underlining the contrast between the darkness of the stable and the luminous revelation of the sacred event.
The composition, densely populated, is characterized by the semicircular arrangement of the shepherds who approach with gestures full of humility and awe. Their attitudes, hands on their chests, bowed heads, gazes directed towards the Child, respond to the devotional model promoted by the sacred art of the 17th century, whose objective was to arouse the emotional participation of the faithful and lead them to meditative contemplation. The presence of the animals in the manger is resolved through a sober volumetric treatment, discreetly integrated in the half-light, while in the upper part an angel carries a phylactery with the inscription "Gloria in...", a textual evocation of the heavenly announcement to the shepherds according to the Gospel of Luke. This resource not only anchors the scene in the iconographic tradition but also acts as a visual link between the earthly and celestial planes.
The painter's style, although anonymous within the broad orbit of the Italian school, reveals a synthesis between the dramatic naturalism inherited from Caravaggio and a certain residual mannerism perceptible in the stylization of the bodies, especially in the younger figures and in the angels. The brushstroke, on the other hand, shows a dense workmanship in the shadow areas, while the illuminated areas show a more careful application, aimed at highlighting the spiritualized corporeality of the Child.