Bernardo Castello was the leading painter in Genoa after the departure of Luca Cambiaso for Rome in 1583. Like Cambiaso, he worked in an eclectic, Counter-Mannerist style, painting religious narratives exemplified by their clarity and legibility.

In this work, the story of the annunciation to the shepherds is rendered in captivating detail and spectacular, high-keyed color. In an unusual interpretation of the event, the darkness of night is transformed by a torrent of heavenly light as a host of angels physically escort the shepherds to the place of Christ's birth.

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