The Adoration of the Shepherds (after Jacopo Bassano)
About this artwork
This drawing is loose copy of the bottom portion of an altarpiece by Leandro’s father Jacopo Bassano. Jacopo had painted The Adoration of the Shepherds in 1568 for the church of San Giuseppe in his native town of Bassano del Grappa (it is now in the Museo Civico there). The picture quickly became one of Jacopo’s most celebrated works and was widely copied. This drawing would have been used in Jacopo’s workshop by assistants who were frequently set the task of making painted reproductions of celebrated original works by the master. Compositions were often recorded in drawings as a memory aid, and there are other existing examples of Leandro and his brothers making copies after finished paintings.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Leandro Bassano (Leandro dal Ponte) (1557 - 1622) Italian
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title:The Adoration of the Shepherds (after Jacopo Bassano)
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date created:1580 - 1600
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materials:Black and red chalk on faded blue paper (with added strips at left and right hand margins)
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measurements:23.70 x 29.60 cm (excluding later additions)
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object type:
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credit line:William Finlay Watson Bequest 1881
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accession number:D 2232
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gallery:
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depicted:
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subject:
Leandro Bassano (Leandro dal Ponte)
Leandro Bassano (Leandro dal Ponte)
Leandro was the son of the painter Jacopo Bassano and was active in his father’s workshop from a young age. When his elder brother Francesco left for Venice in 1578, Leandro became his father’s principal assistant. Leandro painted with fine, smoothly applied brushstrokes, which differed from his...