The Adoration of the Shepherds

1782-1785

Johann Gottlieb Prestel after a 16th-Century German Artist

Associated Names
Johann Gottlieb Prestel

Artist, German, 1739 - 1808

German 16th Century

Artist After

This is a drawing of an interior scene with an arched ceiling and a detailed composition. The drawing depicts an atmospheric space with a brick interior, featuring an arched doorway or passageway. Beneath the arch, in the foreground, there are various figures gathered around a central horizontal arrangement on the floor. Above, in the sky-like area, there is an assembly of cloud forms with radiant figures. The composition is intricate, with hatching and line work creating depth and shadows. The architectural elements are depicted with precision, leading the viewer's eye through the archway and focusing on the central scene. The artwork conveys a sense of narrative depth and spatial complexity through its use of perspective and intricate detailing.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and aquatint in printed in red-brown and black

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    mount: 48.6 × 33.5 cm (19 1/8 × 13 3/16 in.)
    sheet (trimmed within platemark): 32 × 22.2 cm (12 5/8 × 8 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1948.11.286

  • Series Title

    Dessins des meilleurs Peintres d'Italie, d'Allemagne et des Pay-Bas Tirés de divers célebres Cabinets (Drawings by the Best Painters of Italy, Germany and the Netherlands, Taken from Various Famous Cabinets) [plate 28]

Associated Artworks

See all 36 artworks
This is a drawing of three armored figures holding spears. The scene shows detailed figures in medieval armor with spears. The central figure appears animated, perhaps gesturing or speaking. Each figure is intricately detailed, revealing their armor and expressions. The background is minimal, with light lines hinting at a landscape.

Three Lansquenets

Maria Catharina Prestel

1780

This is a photograph of a title page. The image displays elegant, ornate text printed in black on slightly aged, cream-colored paper. The title at the top reads "DESSINS" in large, decorative letters, followed by a smaller, script-style description that mentions the best painters from Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands, with works taken from various famous collections. The text further details that these images were engraved after the originals at the same size by Jean Théophile Prestel, listed as a painter and a member of the Academy of Fine Arts in Düsseldorf. The overall presentation suggests a historical and classical aesthetic typical of printed works from an earlier period.

Dessins des meilleurs Peintres d'Italie, d'Allemagne et des Pay-Bas Tirés de divers célebres Cabinets (Drawings by the Best Painters of Italy, Germany and the Netherlands, Taken from Various Famous Cabinets)

Johann Gottlieb Prestel, Maria Catharina Prestel, Regina Schönecker, Johann Georg Sturm, Heinrich Sebastian Hüsgen

1782

The image shows a portrait sketch of an individual with pronounced facial features, including prominent cheekbones, a strong nose, and full lips. The person's hair is voluminous with soft curls, and they are wearing a high-collared garment. The sketch is set against a plain background with a simple border and no visible jewelry or objects. The larger paper surrounding the portrait has a light-colored, textured surface with slight discolorations.

Head of a Man

Johann Gottlieb Prestel

1782

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Walter Schatzki, New York); Lessing Julius Rosenwald, Philadelphia, PA, purchased 1947; gift to NGA, 1948.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2021

  • Aquatint: From Its Origins to Goya, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2021 - 2022.

Inscriptions

in plate, in image, at upper right: 1548; in plate, below image, at center: Dessin d'un vieu Maitre allemand inconnu / du Cabinet de Monsieur de Praun à Nuremberg.; in plate, below image, at left: H.S.H. excud.; in plate, below image, at right: No. 28 / J. T. Prestel Sc. [lettering trimmed and pasted to verso of mount]

Wikidata ID

Q65079575

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