Virtual Nativity - Adoration of the Shepherds

“So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.

But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”
Luke 2.16-20

The Sarcophagus of the Nativity is located in Musée de l'Arles et de la Provence Antiques. The central medallion has two sections. The upper section shows the Virgin seated at the head of a cradle above which appear the ox and the donkey. A shepherd with a crook stands opposite the Virgin. The lower section shows the coming of the Magi guided by the star which is located above the head of the Virgin in the upper section.

Henri Lerolle’s painting shows the shepherds who ‘went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.’ The shepherds viewed the Holy Family, evidently from some distance; there is no record of their speaking to Mary or Joseph, only to others outside after the visit.