The Adoration of the Shepherds. 1775

Jean-Honoré Fragonard painted *The Adoration of the Shepherds* in France at an unknown date. This scene, typical of the period, depicts the presentation of the infant Jesus to the shepherds, who, according to the gospels, were the first to witness Christ’s birth. Fragonard gives us a scene that might be at home in any peasant dwelling. The shepherds are muscular but unkempt, dressed in simple clothes and are awestruck. Above them, the Virgin Mary presents her child, who glows with divine light, while a host of angels look on. The art institutions of France at this time set standards for both subject matter and style. Fragonard was a popular and successful artist, but he was always considered to be on the margins of official artistic culture. Understanding the culture that produced this artwork depends on understanding not just the religious traditions behind it, but the precise relationship between religious and secular institutions at the time. The historian can delve into these questions through written records, studies of art academies, and other primary sources.