The Adoration of the shepherds

An outline etching after an engraving by Giorgio Ghisi depicting The Adoration of the shepherds. This print is lettered with "331" at the upper right corner, the title in French, German and English at the bottom of the print and the identification of Raphael as the painter. Signed by the printmaker. This print was published as plate 331 in C.P. Landon, 'Vie et Œuvre complète de Raphaël Sanzio', 1803.

Lewis (see Bibliographic References) relates the engraving by Ghisi with a series of prints commissioned from him to illustrate a missal for the Basilica of Santa Barbara, which was at the time the official church of the court based at Mantua. The missal was published in 1583 (after Ghisi's death) but the project started two decades before, during the pontificate of Pope Pius IV (1559-1565) who granted permission for the publication. See RCIN 850489 for the print by Ghisi.