Two shepherds raise their arms and cover their eyes.
Bible in art · Luke
The Angel and the Shepherds (L'ange et les bergers)
James Tissot · 1886–1894
Brooklyn Museum, New York
Most of Tissot’s gouaches are as small as a book page and were made to be reproduced; they were printed in a large illustrated Life of Christ in 1896–1897. This one is almost a night piece.
Under old olive trees a group of shepherds has woken in fear. They shield their eyes and throw up their hands against a pale light that breaks through the branches at the right; the angel itself is not shown.
From the text
- Shepherds keep watch over their flocks by night (Luke 2:8)
- “the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified” (Luke 2:9)
The artist’s own
- The angel left out — only its light is seen
- Olive trees and striped shepherds’ cloaks
Details
Shielding their eyes
The light
A pale glow breaks through the twisted olive branches.
On the ground
Others lie or kneel in heavy striped cloaks.
James Tissot, French, 1836–1902. Brooklyn Museum, New York (Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.25) · Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper · Brooklyn Museum (Commons file page, «Permission»): "This image was uploaded by the Brooklyn Museum as a content partnership, and is considered to have no known copyright restrictions by the institutions of the Brooklyn Museum." — "No known copyright restrictions".