The Adoration of the Shepherds with Angels

Completed in 1499 and now in the National Gallery in London, this Adoration combines the arrival of the shepherds with the presence of celestial messengers in a scene of quietly controlled wonder. Costa was near the height of his career when he painted this work, shortly before departing Bologna for Mantua where he would succeed Mantegna as court painter to the Gonzaga. The inclusion of angels alongside the shepherds lends the scene a solemn grandeur that elevates it beyond simple narrative illustration. The night setting, with the illuminated child as the sole light source, reflects Flemish influence spreading through northern Italian workshops.

Costa distributes figures across a shallow foreground plane, using landscape recession to deepen the spatial field. Angels are distinguished by lighter drapery against a dim sky. Each face is individually characterised, a hallmark of Costa's mature portraiture applied to religious subject matter.