Adoration of the Shepherds (II)

Adoration of the Shepherds (II) (1558), in the church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice, depicts the humble shepherds worshipping the newborn Christ with Veronese's characteristic luminosity and grandeur. The painting was created for one of Venice's most important Dominican churches, which also contains works by Giovanni Bellini and other masters of the Venetian school. Veronese's treatment transforms the humble Nativity into a scene of celestial splendor, the divine infant's radiance illuminating the faces of the adoring shepherds.

Veronese's cool, silvery palette and luminous color harmonies distinguish his Adoration from the warmer, darker versions by his Venetian contemporaries. The architectural setting provides the monumental framework that Veronese favored, with classical columns and arches creating a stage for the sacred drama.