Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, January 28, 1999, lot 415 (as Jacopo Tintoretto and S🦩tudio).

The canvas overall has been a little pressed in the relining, as a result the coarse canvas weave is apparent to the naked eye though this does not detract from the image. There is a vertical canvas seam visible on the right side of the painting. The paint surface is covered by a thick, uneven and discolored varnish. There are lightly infilled losses to the shoulder of the shepherd upper left and further scattered losses in the sky upper right and in the lower right corner. The painting still reads well overall and the detail is well preserved. Inspection under UV reveals a possible small old tear in the upper left corner, scattered retouches throughout the background and sky and larger areas of retouching in the central column to the left of the ox's face and on the figure of St. Joseph, possibly attending to an old puncture. There are further retouches to the hair of the shepherd at right. The painting has not been attended to in some time and would benefit from sensitive restoration. The old discolored retouches could be re-addressed and would greatly improve the appearance of the picture. Offered in an elaborate gilt wood frame with carved angels and fruit.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Though this large scale Adoration is heavily rooted in the early style of Jacopo Tintoretto, its treatment comes closest to an associate of the Venetian master, Giovanni Galizzi. The picture has unsurprisingly been previously assigned to Tintoretto and his studio (see Provenance), but in recent years a more cohesive group of works has been formed around this lesser known artist, shedding light onto his idiosyncratic, yet recognizable hand.¹  Galizzi worked in Venice for at least twenty-two years, during which time he signed and dated two altarpieces: a triptych (1543) depicting the Madonna and Child (Agliardi collection, Bergamo) flanked by Saint Gervasius and Saint Protasius (Accademia Carrara, Bergamo); and a Saint Mark Enthroned with Saint James and Saint Patrick (1547, Santa Maria Assunta, Vertova).² Such works have greatly aided in the understanding of Galizzi's output, which has been rather significantly increased as the number of wrongly attributed pictures given to Tintoretto, including the present example, have been finally associated with this independent artist. 

Another Adoration of the Shepherds in the El Paso Museum of Art, formerly in the Kress collection (inv. no. 1961.35) shares with both this work and the Vertova altarpiece similarly rendered skinny figures and color palette. Furthermore, the bearded Joseph in all three of these works bear marked similarities in their coloration, disegno, and articulation of drapery. The El Paso Adoration has been dated by Frederick Ilchman to circa 1555-60, with a similar tentative attribution to Galizzi, but the two works do appear to be by the same rather distinctive hand.³

1. R. Echols, "Giovanni Galizzi and the Problem of the Young Tintoretto", in Artibus et Historiae, vol. 16, 1995, no. 31, pp. 69-110.
2. Ibid, p. 80
3.. F. Ilchman, in European Treasures: International Gothic Through Realism, exhibition catalogue, El Paso 2010, pp. 162-4.