Adoration of the Shepherds

Luca Signorelli's Adoration of the Shepherds, painted around 1496 and now in the National Gallery, London, depicts the humble shepherds worshipping the newborn Christ. Signorelli's treatment of the Nativity scene reflects his powerful figure style—the muscular, athletic bodies of the shepherds demonstrate the anatomical mastery that made him Michelangelo's most important precursor. The work dates to the period just before his great Orvieto Cathedral frescoes.

Signorelli renders the shepherd figures with his characteristic muscular precision and strong modeling, using dynamic poses and powerful anatomical drawing that anticipate the monumental figural achievements of the High Renaissance.