Girolamo Troppa
, Italian, 1630-after 1710
Title
Adoration of the ShepherdsDate1670s
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
155 x 122 cm
SignedTR [in monogram]
Credit LineMilltown Gift, 1902
Object numberNGI.1669
DescriptionInformation about the life of Troppa is quite scarce. He was nevertheless a painter of significant qualities, a fact proven also by the title of Cavaliere with which he was honoured. Like many other artists working in Rome at the time, he was influenced by the elegant painting of Carlo Maratti, and sometimes in his pictures he combines that artist's classical style with the romantic handling of Salvator Rosa.In this enchanting depiction of the nativity, the newborn Saviour and his Mother are the shining source that attracts the attending angels above, and St Joseph and the shepherds on earth. Both groups are left in shadow, and compositionally separate, to emphasise the two different spheres of joy: the divine and the human.
(National Gallery of Ireland: Essential Guide, 2008)
ProvenanceMilltown Collection by 1826; Milltown Gift, 1902 Label TextThree shepherds kneel before the newborn Christ Child, who is watched over by the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The shepherds contemplate Christ in wonder and awe while, overhead, angels and putti express the excitement and joy of the heavens. The Infant appears to radiate light, drawing our attention to Him as ‘the Light of the World’ and the focal point of the painting. Little is known about the artist, Troppa. He was active in Rome in the late-seventeenth century, and earned the title of cavaliere (knight). His monogram is visible on the ground, below the Virgin Mary’s blue mantle.