Terms and conditions of use
The Adoration of the Magi
(c. 1420-1430)
- Medium
- tempera and gold leaf on wood panel
- Measurements
- 17.0 × 46.5 cm
- Accession Number
- 1731-5
- Department
- International Painting
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1967
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited - Gallery location
- 14th - 16th Century Gallery - Painting & Decorative Arts
Level 1, NGV International - About this work
-
Commemorating the devotion of the Magi to the newly born Christ, the Epiphany, held on 6 January, was a feast of the highest doctrinal significance for Florentines of the Quattrocento – as witnessed by the splendid procession of the Festa dei Magi which occurred regularly until 1470. The Epiphany was an appealing topic for local artists which allowed them to depict the Magi in all their finery without violating the local sumptuary laws, which prohibited the portrayal of religious figures in a worldly vein. The pseudo-Kufic gold embroidery on the horse’s saddlecloth refers to the entourage’s links to the Holy Land. The decorative use of Arabic script by Italian Renaissance artists also reflects trade links with the Islamic world, and an appreciation of its refined visual traditions.
- Subjects (general)
- Human Figures Religion and Mythology
- Subjects (specific)
- Adoration of the Magi (New Testament narrative) Blessed Virgin Mary (Christian character) gifts (object genre) horse (species) Jesus Christ (Christian character) Magi (Christian characters) religious characters worship
- Movements
- Renaissance