Correggio’s Shadowy ‘The Holy Night’ Casts a Bright Light

This painting of the Adoration was the first monumental Italian nocturne piece.

A detail of "The Holy Night," circa 1528–1530, by Antonio da Correggio. Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germany. Public Domain

Correggio (1489–1534), though not as well-known today as his peers Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian, was a profoundly influential Italian Renaissance artist. His narrative works are marked by luminous lighting effects, intense emotion, and pioneering original interpretations. Scholars rank him alongside the most illustrious artists of his era.

One of Correggio’s most acclaimed oil paintings is “The Holy Night,” referred to sometimes as “Adoration of the Shepherds” or “The Night.” Housed now in Dresden, Germany’s Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, it is the first monumental nocturne in Italian painting.

Illustrious Illustrator

Correggio was born Antonio Allegri in the town of Correggio, hence his name, near the city of Parma in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Art historians believe that he trained in Mantua, perhaps under the great Andrea Mantegna (circa 1431–1506). Mantegna’s influence can be seen in Correggio’s work, along with that of Leonardo, Venetian painting, and Rome’s examples of the oeuvres of Michelangelo and Raphael.  

In 1519, Correggio moved to Parma and spent most of the following decade there. It was the place of his greatest activity, but because it was a regional area, his work has garnered less fame compared to contemporaries working in Florence, Rome, and Venice. Correggio’s sumptuous fresco cycles of ambitious and unprecedented illusionism were made in Parma. They include “Assumption of the Virgin” in the city’s cathedral.

Considered the leading painter in the region of Emilia-Romagna, Correggio painted the “Assumption of the Virgin” fresco inside the Romanesque Cathedral of Parma. Peter Heidelberg/Shutterstock

In addition to these monumental frescos, Correggio painted important altarpieces, smaller scale religious paintings, and mythological scenes. In the 1520s, he crafted five large altar paintings whose objectives were to emotionally engage the viewer and communicate divine joy to a degree that had never before been reached. Two were created for Parma, two for Modena, and one for Reggio Emilia.

The picture for Reggio, “The Holy Night,” is the most celebrated of the series. It was commissioned in 1522 for the Pratonieri family chapel in the church of San Prospero and completed likely at the end of the decade. Its later provenance includes ownership by Francesco III d’Este, Duke of Modena, from whom Augustus III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, acquired it for the Gemäldegalerie in 1746.

At the time of purchase, it was already a celebrated work with a different moniker, “The Famous Night.” It remained the most recognized piece in the collection until 1800, when Raphael’s “Sistine Madonna” overtook it.

Reggio’s Adoration

“The Holy Night” features supernatural light emanating from the Christ Child, which is the only light source apart from faint twilight on the horizon. This dramatic device draws the viewer intimately into the composition. The iconography of a divine luminosity from the newborn Jesus originated in Flanders at the end of the 15th century.

London’s National Gallery owns “The Nativity at Night,” possibly made around 1490, by Early Netherlandish artist Geertgen tot Sint Jans (circa 1455/65–1485/95). It was inspired by nighttime Nativity works by Flemish Hugo van der Goes (circa 1440–1482) that are now lost.

"The Holy Night," circa 1528–1530, by Antonio da Correggio. Oil on poplar wood; 100 inches by 74 inches. Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germany. Public Domain

"The Nativity at Night," circa 1490, by Geertgen tot Sint Jans after Hugo van der Goes. Oil on oak panel; 13 3/10 inches by 9 9/10 inches. National Gallery, London. Public Domain

In Correggio’s version, the Madonna cradles Christ, who lies upon a straw-strewn cot. His light shines and diffuses across the scene. Mary’s loving face glows while the shepherdess on the left shades her eyes from the overwhelming brilliance. The rejoicing angels twist and whirl, depicted with precise foreshortened perspective.

Correggio was a talented draughtsman. All of his surviving drawings are preparatory sketches for painted works. Among the finest of these is at the University of Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum. A highly finished work on paper, “The Nativity With the Arrival of the Shepherds” is composed of a mixture of red and white chalk, brown wash, and ink.

The Museum writes that “the overall effect has been compared to that of oil painting.” It is believed to be an early preparatory sketch for the Gemäldegalerie’s “The Holy Night,” although there are compositional differences. Similarities include the architectural column, the kneeling Virgin, and cloud-dwelling angels floating above the shepherds.

“The Nativity With the Arrival of the Shepherds,” 16th century, by Antonio da Correggio. Red chalk, brown wash, and ink drawing. The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Public Domain

Correggio’s mature works herald the 17th century baroque movement and influenced subsequent artists, including the Italian Carracci brothers, the Flemish Rubens, and French rococo artist François Boucher.

In the 18th century, “The Holy Night” was a seminal work for painters. The German Anton Raphael Mengs (1728–1779) made several artworks depicting the Adoration of the Shepherds that were inspired by this Correggio painting. An esteemed example is at Madrid’s Prado Museum. The Prado has a current exhibition devoted to Mengs on view through March 1, 2026.

"The Adoration of the Shepherds," 1770, by Anton Raphael Mengs. Oil on oak wood; 100 inches by 74 4/5 inches. Prado National Museum, Madrid. Public Domain

Mengs was one of the most important 18th century artists and theorists as a key figure in the establishment of Neoclassicism. Court painter in Dresden from 1745, he worked later for the Spanish King Charles III, for whom he painted this Adoration; it was meant for the king’s dressing room in the Royal Palace of Madrid. The painting was produced from 1771 to 1772 while the artist was in Rome, where he spent long sojourns studying art history.

As in Correggio’s work, the nocturnal scene features a glowing Baby Jesus. The Prado explains, “The composition reveals a profound study of perspective and of illumination. It uses a strong play of lights and shadows marked by the light emitted by the Christ Child, which defines the other volumes.” The shepherds gather around the Holy Family and are overlooked by angels. Behind the seated Saint Joseph is a portrait of the artist. He looks out at the viewer and gestures to the miraculous birth.

Correggio’s art, especially “The Holy Night,” has inspired artists for generations. His remarkable talents in technique, narrative, and sentiment, coupled with his visionary style, led to magnificent artworks that still evoke awe in those who gaze upon them.

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