Adoration of the Shepherds

This painting was likely commissioned in 1570 or 1571 from Giorgio Vasari by the nuns of the Pieve di Santo Stefano (the parish church of Saint Stephen) in Pane, Italy, outside of Florence (according to the artist’s own records). At an unknown date, it was acquired by Cardinal Joseph Fesch (1763-1839) of Palazzo Falconieri in Rome, Italy (and was included in a catalogue of his collection published in 1841 following his death in 1839, attributed to Giorgio Vasari). Upon Cardinal Fesch''''s death, his collection passed to his beneficiary, Joseph Bonaparte, Count of Survilliers, who sold all but 300 paintings from Fesch’s collection between 1843 and 1845. By 1853, possibly between 1843 and 1845 when Fesch’s collection was sold in Rome, this painting was acquired by William Ward (1817-1885), Lord Ward (and after 1860, Earl of Dudley) of Dudley House in London, England, and was lent to a couple of exhibitions as a work by Baldassare Peruzzi (others suggest Prospero Fontana as the artist). On June 25, 1892 (following Ward’s death in 1885), the painting was sold at the Christie, Manson, and Wood auction of “the Highly Important Gallery of Pictures of the Late Rt. Hon. Early of Dudley” (lot 74) as a work by Baldassare Peruzzi. At this sale, the work is purchased by a “Mr. Saltwell,” likely a dealer or agent working for Charles T. Yerkes (1837-1905). Around 1892, entered the collection of Charles T. Yerkes of Chicago, Illinois (and after 1900, New York, NY), and remained in his collection until his death in 1905. On April 8, 1910, it was sold by the American Art Association of New York, NY in a sale of the “Ancient and Modern Paintings, Belonging to the Estate of the Late Charles T. Yerkes” (lot 198, “Visit of the Shepherds” by Baldassare Peruzzi). Purchased at this sale by Henry Reinhardt (d. 1921) of New York, NY, who bequeathed it upon his death to his heirs, two sons and a daughter. In June 1923, Reinhardt’s heirs executed a partial gift / partial sale arrangement with the University of Wisconsin (Madison, WI), facilitated by son Paul Reinhardt (1888-1945), and with funds raised by thirty-two alumni under the leadership of George I. Haight. In 1939, the painting was once again reattributed to Giorgio Vasari. Around 1970, the painting was transferred to its Elvehjem Arts Center (now known as the Chazen Museum of Art). [Last researched by Chazen staff 14 April 2022]

• Rogers, Millard F., Jr. "Paintings at the Elvehjem Art Center, University of Wisconsin." The Magazine Antiques. Vol. CVIII, No. 6, December (1975). pp. 1148, 1150, pl. 1
• Blumenthal, Arthur R. "The Most Important Vasari Painting in America." Elvehjem Art Center Bulletin 1970-1971. Elvehjem Art Center (1971): 12-17. pp. 12-17
• Wohl, Hellmut. "Vasari's 'Adoration of the Shepherds' for Santo Stefano in Pane." Elvehjem Museum of Art Bulletin 1986-1987. Elvehjem Museum of Art (1987). p. 4, no. 1
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• Elvehjem Museum of Art. "Bulletin/Annual Report 1989-1991." Madison: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 1991. p. 58
• Elvehjem Museum of Art. "Artscene." Spring 1998. p. 23.1.1
• Elvehjem Museum of Art. "Artscene." Vol. 8, No. 2, April/May 1992. p. 6
• Elvehjem Museum of Art. "Artscene." Vol. 15, No. 3, Spring 1999. p. 13
• Elvehjem Museum of Art. "Elvehjem Museum of Art Bulletin/Annual Report 1986-1987." Elvehjem Museum of Art, 1988. p. 4
• Watrous, James. "A Century of Capricious Collecting 1877-1970: From the Gallery in Science Hall to the Elvehjem Museum of Art," Madison, WI: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 1987. p. 8, fig. 6 (illus.)
• Fredericksen, Burton B. and Federico Zeri. "Census of Pre-Nineteenth-Century Italian Paintings in North American Public Collections." Cambridge, MA: Harvard Press, 1972. p. 209, 593
• Vasari, Marcantonio. "Vita di Messer Giorgio Vasari Pittore." Der Literarische Nachlass G. Vasari , Munich (1930). p. 885
• Fesch, Joseph Cardinal. "Catalogue des tableaux composant la galerie de feu son eminence le cardinal Fesch." Rome, Italy: Salviucci, 1841.
• Waagen, Geheimerrath. "Treasures of Art in Great Britain... vol. II." London, England: John Murray, 1854. p. 236
• Scharf, George Jr. "Catalogue of the Art Treasures of the United Kingdom collected at Manchester in 1857." London, England: Bradbury & Evans, 1857. p. 27, no. 194
• Crowe, J.A. and G.B. Cavalcaselle. "A History of Painting in Italy, Volume VI." London, England: John Murray, 1864.; ed. by T. Borenius in rev. ed. 1914. p. 25n3
• Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House. "Exhibition of the Works of the Old Masters...", 1971. no. 383, p. 34
• Chrisitie's. "Catalogue of Highly Important Gallery Pictures of the Late Rt. Hon. Earl of Dudley,." June 25, 1892. p. 26, no. 74
• American Art Association. "Catalogue deluxe of ancient and modern paintings belonging to the estate of the late Charles T. Yerkes April 5-8, 1910." New York, NY: American Art Association, 1910. deluxe cat. no. 121; plain cat. no. 198
• Voss, Herman. "Fontana, Prospero," Thieme-Beckers Kunstlerlexikon, vol. 12 (1916). pp. 185-186
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• Museum of Ornamental Art. "Art Treasures of the United Kingdom." Manchester, UK: Museum of Ornamental Art, 1857. no. 194

• Masterpiece Restored, A: Adoration of the Shepherds by Giorgio Vasari: Elvehjem Art Center, 12/11/1970–1/31/1971
• Wisconsin Centennial Art Exhibition: Wisconsin Union, UW Wis. Centennial Committee, 6/8/1936–7/6/1936
• Ancient and Modern Paintings, Belonging to the Estate of the Late Charles T. Yerkes: American Art Association, 4/5/1910–5/8/1910
• Highly Important Gallery of Pictures of the Late Rt. Hon. Earl of Dudley: Christie's, 6/25/1892–6/25/1892
• Art Treasures of the United Kingdom (1857): Museum of Ornamental Art, Manchester
• Exhibition of the Works of the Old Masters (1871): Royal Academy of Arts

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