The Adoration of the Christ Child and Shepherds

The Adoration of the Christ Child and Shepherds
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The Adoration of the Christ Child and Shepherds
The Adoration of the Shepherds by Bartolo di Fredi and The Adoration of the Christ Child by Master of Frankfurt are two paintings from the Renaissance era with a common theme of the birth of Jesus Christ. Although they share a similarity in style and theme, each painting brings out a unique message. The Adoration of the Shepherds fully demonstrates the shepherd's piety towards the birth of the Virgin Mary and Jesus and The Adoration of the Christ Child shows that in the age of Jesus, everyone will be treated equally, whether rich or poor or disabled.[Domain, Public. "The Adoration of the Shepherds."]
Bartolo di Fredi was born in Sienna in 1330 and worked there for most of his life. Between 1356 and 1367 he worked on a Church project in the town San Gimignano, painting a wide range of frescoes of scenes from the Old Testament. It was after the project when he executed some of his works. Most of his works were based on religion and depicted the life of Jesus as narrated in the New Testament or stories from the Old Testament. In his time, Di Fredi was very popular in Siena and used the late Gothic style in much of his creations. As such the figures in his paintings express more facial expressions in different positions which are made more prominent in the significance of the painting by the largeness and presence of the background.
Adoration of the Shepherds was commissioned for the cathedral of Siena. The small panel was one of a polyptych from the life of the Virgin and depicts the Nativity and the Adoration of the Shepherds as well as an occasion that took place before these events when an angel announced the divine birth to the shepherds. The painting features Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in a cave surrounded by animals, four shepherds and angels along the top of the painting announcing the Savior’s birth; emerging halfway out of a cloud and form a semicircle; they are in the act of singing. Many stories from the New Testament show angels acting messengers and di Fredi follows this theme in the painting. He maintains the significance of the moment to the shepherds and does not lose it in the painting by each of them reacting in a particular way: one clasps his hand as if in prayer, another uses his hand to cover his face expressing his fear, the other two appear to be staring on the angles above them in awe. The scene perfectly captures those first moments when the babe was swaddled in rags, warmed by an ass and ox, and worshipped by common peasants.
Di Fredi employs a lot of symbolism in this painting, even though the people are a reflection of who they seem to be, and adds many small inane objects with specific meanings. The main angel that announces the news of the birth of Jesus is holding an olive branch, a symbol of peace and celebration. There are a dove and a star above the baby Jesus, representing the other two parts of the Trinity which shows that the baby completes the third part. Apart from the addition of small symbols, Di Fredi’s artistic style articulates certain messages, for example, the image of Mary is a bit bigger than the others, which sy...