The Adoration of the Shepherds

Painted around 1615, when Strozzi was still working within the orbit of Genoese religious patronage, this Adoration of the Shepherds belongs to a venerable tradition of nativity scenes that emphasised the humility of Christ's birth. Strozzi was at this period still a Capuchin friar (he would leave the order around 1610–1615 under disputed circumstances but continued to paint for ecclesiastical clients), and his treatment of the theme reflects Franciscan spirituality's stress on poverty and tenderness. The Walters Art Museum canvas is notable for the bustling informality of the shepherds, who crowd around the manger with the urgency of working people rather than the decorum of courtly attendants. This democratising impulse reflects the influence of Caravaggio, whose Adoration of the Shepherds of 1609 had shown humble figures naturalistically rather than idealised. Strozzi likely knew Caravaggio's work through prints and the accounts of Genoese collectors, even if he never visited Rome.

The composition converges on the illuminated Christ child, whose radiance acts as an internal light source warming the faces bent over the manger. Strozzi layers his flesh tones wet-on-wet, creating the soft blending that distinguishes his figure painting. The shepherds' rough clothing is handled with tactile immediacy, contrasting with the luminous linen swaddling cloth.