Spanish school of the 16th century. Circle of PEDRO DE ORRENTE (Murcia, 1580 - Valencia, 1645). "The Adoration of the Shepherds. Oil on canvas. With repainting. Frame of the 19th century. Measurements: 160 x 118 cm; 183 x 142 cm (frame). This work shows us the scene of the adoration of the shepherds through a costumbrist approach, according to the naturalistic taste of the baroque, something that, together with the warm, well toned chromatism, the veristic treatment of characters and animals and the tenebrist and scenographic illumination, allows us to place the painter in the orbit of Pedro Orrente (Murcia, 1580 Valencia, 145), the so-called "Spanish Bassano". It is a scene that lends itself to being interpreted as a large composition with numerous characters, worked in a costumbrista style, and was therefore very much to the taste of Baroque painters, who sought above all a natural and intimate art that would move the spirit of the faithful and make them feel close to what was depicted on the canvas, to the sacred story. Thus, the divine elements are reduced to a minimum, only a Glory breaking in the upper part, with a child angel attending the event and watching over the image. During his stay in Italy, Pedro de Orrente visited Venice, where he spent some time in the workshop of Leandro Bassano himself. In 1607 he returned to Spain and settled in Murcia, although he also visited Toledo, Madrid and Valencia. During his stay in Venice he must not only have learnt the Bassano family s pictorial manner but also took on board their conception of painting as a market-oriented activity. His treatment of sacred themes as genre scenes, as we can see here, would be fundamental in this respect. Contemporary inventories cite a large number of works by Orrente, so we can deduce that in order to produce such an extensive output, the painter must have had a very well-established workshop which repeated the models established by the master. Having had first-hand knowledge of the creations of the great Venetian masters, Orrente was able to adopt the teachings of Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese for his works. Furthermore, his possible visit to Rome placed him in a privileged position to become familiar with the development of Caravaggist painting and the interest in naturalism at its height, characteristics that he was able to add to his own works. Works by Pedro Orrente are now in the Prado Museum, the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Fine Arts Museums of Bilbao and Valencia and the National Gallery of Denmark, among many others.