HAMILTON.- The Art Gallery of Hamilton is presenting the special viewing of a painting by the 15th-century Italian court artist Ercole de Roberti. Born in 1450, Roberti was a contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli and was well known in his time.

Entitled The Adoration of the Shepherds, the painting unites three events central to the story of Christ’s birth: the nativity in the manger, the adoration of the shepherds and that of the three kings. Painted nearly 600 years ago, the condition of the work is exceptional.

“This is a rare and significant acquisition for a Canadian public institution, and the condition of the work, along with the provenance is extraordinary,” said Shelley Falconer, President and CEO, Art Gallery of Hamilton. “An exquisite example of early Renaissance painting, Roberti’s work will help bolster the Art Gallery of Hamilton’s position as an important repository of European art. We are delighted and enormously grateful to the Tanenbaums for their tremendous wisdom and foresight in strengthening and supporting the depth and breadth of the AGH collection.”

Previously owned by Bernard Berenson, one of the most famous and influential authorities on Italian Renaissance paintings and drawings, the painting hung for years in the study of his Tuscan villa, I Tatti. It was subsequently purchased by art collectors and AGH benefactors, Joey and Toby Tanenbaum, who were among the five Canadian individuals and couples named in ARTNews magazine’s most recent list of the top 200 art collectors in the world. Since 2002, the Tanenbaums have donated more than 400 works of art to the AGH, including The Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Collection of 19th-century European art, which is among the finest in the world.

Adoration of the Shepherds is on view until March 20, 2016, on Gallery Level Two, where admission is free, courtesy of Orlick Industries Limited.