Cleveland Museum of Art

Adoration of the Magi

Titian

Date

1500s

Medium

oil on canvas

Culture

Italy, 16th century

Department

European Painting and Sculpture

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Is this painting by Titian? Titian, the celebrated and prolific 16th-century Venetian artist, and his large workshop painted several versions of this subject. Further research is needed to compare this painting with versions in Milan and Madrid to determine how much of each is by Titian himself, as opposed to being the work of his studio assistants. The Prado Museum in Madrid is often considered to have a copy made from Cleveland’s painting, which is superior in execution but not condition. Despite the damage caused by overcleaning, there are many fine passages, including the bowing white horse, his groom in shadow, and the cradled Christ child. This painting is filled with naturalistic details such as the riders who struggle to keep their horses and mules still and a small dog who urinates on a beam.

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