Adoration of the Shepherds

Francesco De Mura (1696–1782) explored the theme of the Adoration of the Shepherds on multiple occasions, producing works for both public commissions in Neapolitan churches and private collections. The version housed at the Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia exemplifies his approach to this subject in a private context.
The painter revisited this subject across multiple compositions, employing both horizontal formats—such as the work in Airola, near Benevento, located in the sacristy of the Church of the Annunciation—and vertical arrangements, exemplified by the arched altarpiece initially created for the Church of Santa Maria di Betlemme and now housed in the Royal Palace of Naples. The Roman canvas, presented in a vertical format, is designed with an ascending orientation that situates all figures within a unified plane of depth. The central figures are the Virgin and Child, encircled by a group of observers, including Saint Joseph. The composition expands laterally from the principal subjects and descends toward the lower portions of the scene. The upper register features angelic figures depicted in flight before a backdrop of ruined classical architecture. The origin of this composition can be traced to the previously mentioned altarpiece, currently housed in the Palazzo Reale of Naples, which dates to the early 1940s when the altar at Santa Maria di Betlemme was constructed.
In addition to the painting housed in Palazzo Venezia, several other versions derived from the Neapolitan altarpiece are documented. The Southampton City Art Gallery possesses a replica of smaller dimensions than the Roman canvas (inv. 177/1975, 139.1 x 99.6 cm); notably, the reduced height results from a clear cropping of the upper section, thereby omitting some of the angelic figures. The two works were originally comparable in dimensions, as evidenced by the negligible width discrepancy of slightly more than 4 cm. A closely related example is documented in the Fototeca Zeri (inv. 123389), which, although trimmed to the same height, retains all figures intact without any being cropped.
Another version, differing only in minor details such as the flowers on Saint Joseph’s staff, the arrangement of the white sheet beneath the Child, and the type of wooden trunks comprising the cradle, is documented solely by a photograph in the Fototeca Zeri (inv. 123388). According to this source, the work was part of the Collezione Villani in Bologna.
All of these works exhibit a stylistic affinity with another rendition of the subject completed in the early 1950s, as well as a Visitation created for the Neapolitan church of San Nicola alla Carità (In the light of Naples 2016, 146, fig. 67), where De Mura previously executed the dome fresco in 1734 (Rizzo 1978, 105). This large-format canvas (420 cm × 230 cm) features the same characters as those depicted in the painting housed in the Museo di Palazzo Venezia and the version in Southampton, although with variations in their poses. The compositional and stylistic parallels between this Adoration of the Shepherds and the two works in San Nicola alla Carità suggest that it was executed between 1750 and 1752, consistent with the dating of the Southampton version (Blumenthal 2016, 160, fig. 75). The Adoration of the Shepherds at Palazzo Venezia exemplifies the stylistic evolution of De Mura from the 1750s onward, as evidenced by his adoption of a lighter color palette and a distinct move away from the chiaroscuro characteristic of his earlier works influenced by Solimena.
This artistic progression becomes evident when comparing the painting in question with its prototype, currently housed in the Palazzo Reale of Naples and dating to the early 1740s. The earlier work is distinguished by more pronounced chiaroscuro, richer colour saturation, and a depiction of the Virgin closely aligned with Solimena’s stylistic approach, as exemplified by the Adoration of Airola from circa 1727 (Rizzo 1978, 98–99, fig. 7).

Vincenzo Stanziola

Entry published on 16 October 2025

Good.

Hermanin Federico, Il Palazzo di Venezia, Roma, 1948, p. 236, (come Francesco Solimena);
Rizzo Vincenzo, L’opera giovanile di Francesco De Mura, in «Napoli nobilissima: rivista di topografia ed arte napoletana», XVII, III, 1978, pp. 93-113;
Blumenthal Arthur R. (a cura di), In the Light of Naples. The Art of Francesco De Mura, catalogo della mostra (Winter Park, Florida, Cornell Fine Arts Museum, 17 settembre-18 dicembre 2016, London 2016.