Adoration of the Shepherds by Domenico Ghirlandaio
Ghirlandaio managed to bring together an event from Bethlehem into a setting that blends ancient Rome, Jerusalem and contemporay Italy (Florence), all in one scene. Commissioning such a painting was one way for the rich and powerful like the Florentine Sasseti family to show off their wealth. Ghirlandaio’s masterpiece portrays on the far right two of the Sasseti donors as part of the biblical scene. The artist didn’t forget to include himself (the one on the right pointing at himself as if he’s saying “Check this out! I painted this!”) Contemporary Rome and Jerusalem are brought together in the background (left and right, respectively). Also ancient Rome features heavily: There’s a long procession of the magi passing under a Roman triumphal arch with an inscription that says “GN[AEO] POMPEIO MAGNO HIRCANVS PONT[IUS] P[OSUIT]” (The priest Hircanus erected [this arch] in honor of Gnaius Pompey the Great). This is a symbol of the Roman victory over the Hebrews. There’s two Roman pilasters, the one on the left displays the date of the painting on its capital, “MCCCCLXXXV” (1485).
The main figures are huddled around an ancient Roman sarcophagus used as the manger. The inscription on it reads “ENSE CADENS SOLYMO POMPEI FVLVI[VS] / AVGVR / NVMEN AIT QVAE ME CONTEG[IT] / VRNA DABIT” (Translation: Falling at Jerusalem by the sword of Pompey, the augur Fulvius says that the urn which contains me shall produce a God.) This is a reference to an ancient prophecy that the messiah, Jesus, is coming. The manger-sarcophagus being used by the child Jesus is a symbol of the triumph of Christianity over the Roman paganism. The symbol-rich masterpiece shows the different reigns of the Hebrews, followed by the Romans and ultimately the Christians.