The 15c depicts the Adoration of the Shepherds by the School of Seville. It is still not certain who painted it but it was most likely a prominent Spanish artist as several copies survive in Spain.
In the painting, the Virgin Mary gently lifts her new-born son while Saint Joseph, leaning on his staff, looks tenderly at the Christ Child. They are surrounded by figures including two shepherds who join their hands in adoration, while others offer poultry and lambs as gifts. Two bound lambs are strategically placed in front of Christ, alluding to his future sacrifice on the Cross.
The Virgin and Child are brightly illuminated from the left while the rest of the figures crowding around them are partly in shadow. In the background, the shepherds are shown in an earlier episode in which an angel announces the birth of Christ to them.
Details
- Designer: Gordon Drummond
- Printer: Thomas De La Rue & Co Ltd
- Process: Lithography
- Paper:
- Watermark: Block CA
- Perf: 13 (comb)
- Cylinders:
- Sheet:
- Quantity:
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