Axial Commons Image Treasury
Three shepherds on a dark hillside raise their arms and look up at a stormy sky with a pale moon. A skull lies on the ground below.

The shepherds attending at the birth of Christ look up at the angel. Stipple engraving by G.S. and J.G. Facius after J. Boydell after J. Reynolds.

Three shepherds in rough cloaks stand and kneel on a dark hillside beneath a stormy sky with a pale moon, arms raised as they gaze upward. A skull lies on the rocky ground at lower center, and the engraving's dense tonal shading, deep shadows and soft highlights, gives the night scene its dramatic atmosphere.

Artist
Joshua Reynolds
Date
1 Sept.r 1786
Medium
Self-portraits Stipple engravings
Source
Wellcome Collection
Size
2573 × 4000 px
Download full size
Public domain · Wellcome Collection marks it Public Domain Mark; made by 1786.
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: Public Domain Mark (Wellcome Collection)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Wellcome Collection

Español: Tres pastores mirando hacia un cielo tormentoso

Tres pastores con capas toscas están de pie y arrodillados en una ladera oscura bajo un cielo tormentoso con una luna pálida, con los brazos levantados mientras miran hacia arriba. Un cráneo yace sobre el suelo rocoso en el centro inferior, y el sombreado tonal denso del grabado, con sombras profundas y luces suaves, da a la escena nocturna su atmósfera dramática.

Português: Três pastores olhando para um céu tempestuoso

Três pastores com capas rústicas estão de pé e ajoelhados em uma encosta escura sob um céu tempestuoso com uma lua pálida, com os braços erguidos enquanto olham para cima. Um crânio repousa no chão rochoso ao centro inferior, e o sombreado tonal denso da gravura, com sombras profundas e luzes suaves, dá à cena noturna sua atmosfera dramática.

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